Trevelthan House

Updated 13 April 2022

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 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

Trevelthan 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. 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 the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and the person is often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us. We needed to make sure relevant staff were available and records were accessible.

What we did before the inspection

The provider had not been requested to complete a provider information return prior to the inspection. 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.

We spoke with two relatives before we visited the service and received feedback from five staff and three health and social care professionals. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We met the person living at the service. The person was not able to fully share their experience of living at Trevelthan House, therefore we spent time observing staff with the person and talking with staff about how they supported the person. We spoke with the registered manager and staff member who were present during the inspection visit.

We reviewed the person’s care and medication records. We looked at staff records in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service and quality monitoring systems.

After the inspection

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

Updated 13 April 2022

About the service

Trevelthan House provides care and accommodation for up to one person who has a learning disability and autistic people. At the time of the inspection one person was living at the service. The service is part of the Green Light group which run several similar services throughout Cornwall, for people living on the autistic spectrum.

The service is situated in the centre of a village with access to the local community. Trevelthan House is a detached bungalow with its own garden. It opened in May 2020 and this is the first inspection of the service.

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.

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

The Right support:

The model of care and setting maximised the person’s choice, control and independence. The service was in a village and there was good access to the local community and amenities.

The service is staffed by a small staff team. There is a trial underway to reduce staffing levels at specific time of day. Relatives and some staff were anxious regarding this change. We have recommended the provider continues to monitor the staffing levels in the service.

The persons support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent. The person 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 staff team had the appropriate levels of knowledge and skills to support the person and respond to their individual needs and choices. The person received their medicines in a safe way and were protected from abuse and neglect. The person’s care plans, and risk assessments were clear and up to date.

Right Care

There was a strong person-centred culture within the staff team. Care was person-centred and promoted the person’s dignity, privacy and human rights. The person was treated in a dignified manner and staff were aware of the person's support needs. Staff were observed talking to the person in a dignified and respectful way. Staff delivered personal care when the person needed it and gained consent prior to providing any support.

The person communicated with staff with no hesitation. Staff understood their individual communication needs and were consistent in their approach and response. Care plans informed staff of any specific ways to best communicate with the person.

Right culture

The person was supported by staff where the ethos, values, and attitudes of management and care staff ensured they led a confident, inclusive and empowered life. Staff created an environment that inspired the person to understand and achieve their goals and ambitions.

The person led their life that reflected their personalities and preferences because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff.

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

Cleaning and infection control procedures had been updated in line with COVID-19 guidance to help protect people, visitors and staff from the risk of infection. Government guidance about COVID-19 testing for people, staff and visitors was being followed.

The person’s relatives and health and social care professionals were complimentary of the service and could not identify any areas for improvement. Comments from relatives included “We can’t fault staff, [managers name] is fantastic” and "[my relative] is very happy; they fall over backwards for [The person].”

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 18 May 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture.

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.