Ayrshire House

Updated 12 December 2019

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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Ayrshire House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. 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 in post. A registered manager and provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be available to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was sent a provider information return to complete. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about the service, what it does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed other information that we held about the service such as notifications. These are events that happen in the service that the provider is required to tell us about. We also considered the last inspection report and information that had been sent to us. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people who lived at the service and two relatives. We had discussions with the registered manager/provider and two care and support workers. We looked at three people's care records in detail and records that related to how the service was managed, including staffing rotas, training information, medicines records and quality assurance information.

After the inspection

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

Updated 12 December 2019

About the service

Ayrshire House is a residential care home which provides care and support to people with a learning disability. It is registered to provide care for up to 15 people. Two beds were used for respite care. At the time of our inspection there were 13 people living at the home.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

The service was situated in a large home, bigger than most domestic-style properties. It was registered for the support of up to 15 people. This is larger than current best practice guidance. However. the size of the home having a negative impact on people was mitigated because it was in a residential area amongst other large domestic homes of a similar size. There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People received safe care and staff were trained to ensure people were protected against avoidable harm, neglect and discrimination. There were systems in place to make sure the service was safe, with good staffing levels and skilled staff to deliver safe care.

Risks to people were fully assessed and well managed. Staff were safely recruited to ensure they were suitable to work at the service. People’s medicines were safely managed, and systems were in place to control and prevent the spread of infection.

People's care needs were assessed before they received a care package. Staff received an induction and ongoing training that enabled them to have the skills and knowledge to provide effective care.

Staff supported people to eat healthy meals to meet their dietary needs. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and access healthcare services when required.

People were 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.

Staff provided care and support in a caring and meaningful way. They knew the people who used the service well. People and relatives, where appropriate, were involved in the planning of people’s care and support. Care plans supported staff to provide personalised care. People were encouraged to take part in activities and follow their interests.

There was a complaints procedure in place and systems to deal with complaints effectively. The service provided appropriate end of life care to people when required.

The service continued to be well managed. The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service; actions were taken, and improvements were made when required. Staff felt well supported and said the registered manager and deputy manager were open and approachable. The service worked in partnership with outside agencies.

Rating at last inspection.

The last rating for this service was Good (published 19 May 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Ayrshire House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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