Sandylee House

Updated 10 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 completed by 2 inspectors.

Service and service type

Sandylee House 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. Sandylee House 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 not a registered manager in post. However, the previous registered manager was overseeing the service whilst a manager was in the process of registering with us.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

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 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. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people at the home and 2 of their relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the regional manager, the manager of another service, the manager and 3 care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people's care records and multiple medication records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were also reviewed. Following the inspection we spoke with 3 professionals who work closely with the home.

Updated 10 February 2023

About the service

Sandylee House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for 6 people with a learning disability and/or autism at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 7 people in an adapted building.

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

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.

Right Support: Staff supported people to access the local community and engage in activities of their choice. However, there was not always sufficient staff to ensure people could access these at a time they wished as staff had to speak with other services to request additional members of staff to facilitate these. People were not always supported by staff who knew how to report potential safeguarding concerns. We made a recommendation to review staff training and competence around safeguarding. People were supported in a safe environment which was well maintained. People were supported by staff who followed infection control guidance. People could decorate their environment in line with their wishes. People were supported to reach their goals and support was focused on their strengths. Staff communicated with people in a way that met their needs. 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 were supported by staff who were kind and caring. People’s privacy and dignity was respected by staff. People’s care plans reflected their needs and promoted their wellbeing. Risks to people were managed safely and staff enabled people to take positive risks.

Right Culture: People were supported by a high number of agency staff. The provider tried to keep consistency and was regularly trying to recruit staff but sometimes this meant staff turnover was high. People and those important to them were involved in planning and reviewing their care. People were supported by a management team and staff that were focused on their wellbeing. Staff placed people’s wishes at the centre of what they did. The management team had recently changed and they were in the process of completing reviews at the home to ensure all records were up to date and reflected people’s changing needs.

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

This service was registered with us on 17 July 2020 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 03 April 2020. At this inspection the rating has remained the same.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about people’s care and support at the home. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation about staff knowledge of reporting safeguarding concerns at the home.

Follow up

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