19 Lower Dolcliffe Road

Updated 4 August 2021

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type:

19 Lower Dolcliffe Road is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

We gave short notice of the inspection as the service is very small and we needed to be sure a staff member would be available to support the inspection..

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager; the person using the service declined to speak with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included the person’s care records and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment, training and staff supervision. We also reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, policies and procedures

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 4 August 2021

About the service:

19 Lower Dolcliffe Road provides residential care to adults with a range of support needs, including sensory impairments and learning disabilities. It accommodates a maximum of one person. The home is located close to Mexborough town centre and has parking and public transport access as well as local facilities nearby.

People’s experience of using this service:

Staff routinely promoted choice and independence, and spoke to the person using the service respectfully upholding their dignity. Care plans were highly personalised which indicated that staff understood the person’s needs. Care was reviewed regularly to ensure it met the person’s needs, and where changes were required these were implemented.

Staff were trained in relation to how to keep people safe from the risks of harm or abuse, and there was information available in the home for people using the service and staff about what action to take if abuse was suspected. The provider had mostly taken appropriate action when untoward incidents or suspected abuse had occurred.

Staff were recruited safely, with appropriate background checks being made. Staff received training in a wide range of relevant areas.

Medicines were well managed, although we identified one area for improvement in relation to “as required” medicines. We discussed this with the registered manager during the inspection and they confirmed this had been addressed appropriately.

There was a complaints process within the home, although we noted the provider had not followed their own procedures when dealing with complaints. We have made a recommendation that the provider assesses the effectiveness of their complaints arrangements.

The person using the service was supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The person using the service was encouraged to be involved in meal planning and preparation, and their nutrition and hydration needs had been assessed and were monitored.

There was a system in place for monitoring the quality of service provided, and making ongoing improvements as part of the monitoring system.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. .

The outcomes for the person using the service promoted choice and control, independence and inclusion; staff were dedicated to providing a person centred service which reflected the person's preferences. The person was supported to give their views about their care, and staff acted on this to ensure the person's needs were met. They used the facilities within their local community, with staff support, and in accordance with their preferences.

Rating at last inspection:

This service was registered with us in July 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection in line with CQC’s inspection programme.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk