Harleston House

Updated 24 February 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 26 January 2021 and was announced.

Updated 24 February 2021

Harleston House is a residential care home that provides care for up to 39 older people. Some people using the service were living with dementia. At the time of this unannounced inspection of 12 November 2018, there were 38 people who used the service. This service was registered on 7 December 2010.

At our last inspection on 20 April 2016, we rated caring as outstanding and the service overall as good. At this inspection we found that the service had continued to develop and improve, with caring, responsive and well led now rated outstanding. The overall rating for the service is outstanding.

A registered manager was in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were at the heart of the service; receiving outstanding care that was personalised to them, taking account of their individual needs and wishes. Without exception people, relatives and professionals were full of praise about Harleston House. They were extremely complimentary about the approach of the staff and the management team, describing them as incredibly kind, compassionate and respectful towards them. People and relatives shared numerous examples of how compassionate and dedicated staff repeatedly went the extra mile to ensure they were extremely satisfied with all aspects of their care. This included taking the time to ensure every small detail of the care provided met the person's individual needs and wishes to provide a positive outcome for the person. Everybody we spoke with said that they would highly recommend the service.

Harleston House was exceptionally well led. There was dynamic and effective leadership within the service. The service was organised and extremely well run, with an open, transparent and empowering culture. Morale in the service was extremely high, at all levels within the service.

Staff were proud to work at Harleston House and were remarkably motivated and enthusiastic about delivering high quality care. The registered manager led by example and was passionate and committed to ensuring people received tailored care to meet their diverse needs. They were visible and hands on in the home, supported by a management team that demonstrated a holistic approach to achieving positive outcomes for people through person centred care. The registered manager had clear oversight of how the home was meeting people’s physical, emotional and social needs. They effectively demonstrated how their robust quality assurance systems had sustained continual development and improvement at the home.

All the staff continued to be extremely compassionate, attentive and caring in their interactions with people. They consistently promoted and encouraged people’s independence and treated them with the utmost dignity and respect. Staff understood the importance of obtaining consent when providing care. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Ensuring people received care and support tailored to meet their individual needs to enhance their quality of life was integral to the ethos of the home. Staff demonstrated an enhanced understanding about people’s choices, views and preferences and acted on what they said. An enabling and supportive culture focused on meeting the diverse needs of people had been established and was clearly documented in people’s care records.

The staff and management team were exceptionally responsive to meeting people’s needs. People were actively involved in contributing to the planning of their care and support. This was regularly reviewed and adapted to meet changing needs. People were encouraged and supported to pursue their hobbies, participate in a wide range of meaningful activities that they chose, enabling them to live as full a life as possible.

People enjoyed a positive meal time experience and were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet. They were also supported to maintain good health and access healthcare services.

People knew how to complain and share their experiences. Their views and opinions were actively sought, valued and listened to. Concerns and complaints were thoroughly investigated, responded to and used to improve the quality of the service.

The service continued to provide a safe service to people. Effective systems were in place intended to minimise the risks to people, including from abuse, falls and with their medicines.

Staff fully understood their roles and responsibilities in keeping people safe. They were trained and supported to meet people’s needs. Staff were available when people needed assistance and had been recruited safely. Where people required assistance to take their medicines there were appropriate arrangements in place to provide this support safely.

The design and layout of the building was hazard free, clean and in a good state of repair with equipment maintained. People’s individual needs including those living with dementia were met by the design and decoration of the home. Consideration had been given to providing points of interest and stimulation along with quieter tranquil areas in the building to create a safe, homely and easily understood environment.

The service had a quality assurance system and shortfalls were identified and addressed. There was a culture of listening to people and positively learning from events so similar incidents were not repeated. As a result, the quality of the service continued to develop.

The registered manager demonstrated an open, reflective leadership style working in partnership with other stakeholders to drive continual improvement within the service and local community. Feedback from healthcare professionals cited collaborative and highly effective working relationships.