Archived: Rodney House

Updated 18 April 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:

Our inspection was completed by two inspectors and an expert-by-experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type:

Rodney House is a care home that provides accommodation and personal care for up to twenty people living with a learning disability. The accommodation is provided in four houses with no more than five people living in each home. This meets the requirements of Registering the Right Support, a national standard for homes for people with learning difficulties.

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:

The inspection took place on 15 February 2019 and it was unannounced.

What we did:

Our inspection was informed by evidence we already held about the service such as notifications of events and feedback from the public. We had asked the service to complete a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

At the inspection we spent time observing the care provided and interactions between the staff and people. We also spoke with five people who lived at the home and two relatives by phone to get their views. We interviewed four of the care staff and met with the registered manager, deputy manager and a quality assurance advisor. We reviewed six people's care records, three of the staff recruitment files, looked at quality audits and other records about the management of the service. We requested additional evidence to be sent to us, which was received promptly and used as part of our inspection. After the inspection we received feedback from two health and social care professionals.

Updated 18 April 2019

About the service:

Rodney House provides accommodation, personal care and support for up to 20 people living with a learning disability, some of who will also have physical disabilities. The accommodation is provided in four houses with no more than five people living in each home. One home provides for people who receive short term care only. There is also a communal building which holds the manager's and administration offices and a common room.

At the time of the inspection there were 14 people living there, in three separate houses. Three people also arrived for a weekend stay during our inspection.

The YMCA London South West own the buildings and is the registered provider with the Care Quality Commission. The manager and staff are employed by Surrey County Council, who have also taken on the monitoring of the quality of the service and care since January 2019 with the agreement of the YMCA.

People’s experience of using this service:

People living at Rodney House were supported by staff who were kind and respectful. People were supported to be themselves and develop their own individual interests. Staff knew how to communicate with each person and people were involved in day to day decision making as much as possible.

However, the service was inconsistent in their approach to meeting the legal requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and improvement was needed. There had been several changes in manager in the last year and there was a need for consistent leadership and oversight.

The service had systems in place to keep people safe. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Risks were assessed and actions taken to reduce avoidable harm. There had been learning from mistakes with medicines administration and new systems put in place to prevent reoccurrences.

People lived in a suitable, safe and comfortable environment. The home met the national standards of Registering the Right Support for people who live with a learning disability. People had access to the right equipment and professional support to help promote their independence.

People could access the local community on a regular basis and take part in activities they each enjoyed. At home, there was a relaxed atmosphere. People took part in choosing and cooking their meals and people’s nutritional needs were monitored.

People were given care which was personalised to them. Some work was being done to update people’s care and support plans. We recommended that people’s end of life wishes should be recorded in the most appropriate way.

The registered manager was new and aimed to develop the service and staff. Improvements were continuously identified and there was support from a quality assurance team. Statutory requirements were being met. Staff were positive about their work and the future of the team.

We found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This was related to the need to fully implement and keep under review meeting the legal requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The provider started to take action immediately following the inspection.

More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection:

The last inspection report was published in August 2017 and the service was rated as Good.

Why we inspected:

We inspected the service as part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received. This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned in line with our scheduling guidance.