The Laurels

Updated 21 July 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 1 inspector.

Service and service type

The Laurels is a ‘care home’. 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. The Laurels is a care home without nursing care. 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 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 spoke with 6 people and 3 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, and care workers. We observed care and support over 2 days of inspection to help us understand the experience of people.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 21 July 2023

About the service

The Laurels provides care and accommodation for up to 6 people who have learning disabilities and/or autistic people. At the time of the inspection 6 people were living at the service. The service was based in a large, semi-detached building set within its own gardens in a village location.

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: The service operates a model of Care and setting that maximises people’s choice, control, and independence.

People told us they 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. One person told us, “We do things for ourselves, the staff help if we need it.” People were fully involved in the running of the service on a day-to-day basis and participated in household tasks, people had their own jobs around the house which they valued.

Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence and achieved the best possible health outcome. Staff supported people to play an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing.

Staff, people and their relatives cooperated to assess risks people might face. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks.

Right Care: Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy, and human rights.

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity. Staff understood and responded to people’s individual needs. People told us they liked the staff and we observed both staff and people spoke to and about each other with genuine regard.

People's care, and support plans reflected their range of needs and promoted their individuality, wellbeing, and enjoyment of life. People could take part in activities of their choosing in the wider community and pursue their own interests. Some people had employment and voluntary work. Staff received training and support to provide care effectively.

Staff worked in partnership with healthcare professionals to maintain people’s health and wellbeing.

People told us they felt safe with staff. Relatives had no concerns about the safety of people. There were policies and procedures regarding the safeguarding of adults and staff knew what action to take if they thought anyone was at risk of potential harm.

Right Culture: The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using services lead confident, inclusive, and empowered lives.

Staff placed people's wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. The stable management and staff team supported people to receive consistent care from staff who knew them well. We observed people receiving compassionate and empowering care which was tailored to their needs throughout the inspection.

Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving the person, their families, and other professionals as appropriate. All the relatives we had contact with were complimentary and positive about the service and the care and support their loved ones received. One relative said, “They are really happy, I couldn’t ask for more.”

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 27 January 2018)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and the age of the rating. We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, responsive, and well-led only.

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 remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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