Ciderstone House

Updated 24 February 2023

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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

Ciderstone House is a 'care home' without nursing care. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We met with everyone who lived at the home. We spoke with the registered manager and the provider’s Deputy Regional Director. We were able to observe interactions between people and staff. We looked at a variety of records relating to people's individual support and the running of the home.

After the inspection

We contacted all members of staff and family of people living in the service by email to seek their views on the service. We also contacted health and social care professionals for feedback. We used the information we received back as part of our judgement about the quality of service.

Updated 24 February 2023

About the service

Ciderstone House is a residential care home providing personal care and support for up to 6 people who have a learning disability and autistic people. At the time of the inspection, 6 people were being supported. Ciderstone House accommodates 4 people in one building and 2 people in self-contained annexes attached to the building.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

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

Right Support:

People lived in a domestic dwelling within walking distance of local shops and amenities. Staff promoted people's independence and supported their access to the local community.

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.

Right Care:

People received kind and compassionate care and were supported in a person-centred way. Staff had the training and knowledge to support people effectively keeping them safe and promoting their human rights. Staff promoted people's equality and diversity and knew them well as individuals. People's care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their health, mental wellbeing and enjoyment of life.

Right Culture:

The registered manager led by example to create a positive person-centred culture. People received consistent support from a staff team who knew them well. Staff worked hard to achieve good quality care and good outcomes for people and understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have.

Staff were responsive to people's needs and worked well together to achieve good outcomes for people. Feedback from relatives and stakeholders about the service was positive. The registered manager and staff team were passionate about continually improving the service and supporting people to achieve their goals and aspirations.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 10 May 2021).

At our last inspection we recommended the provider included information about systems to address any shortfalls in their response to official complaints. The provider had made improvements.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions of Effective and Well-led. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.