Background to this inspection
Updated
11 March 2020
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.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
Pinkneys Road is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. 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. This information helps support our inspections. We reviewed other information we had received about the service since the last inspection, including notifications received from the provider. The law requires providers to send us notifications about certain events that happen during the running of a service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We reviewed the provider’s website. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
During our inspection we interacted with three people living at the home. We used a range of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service, who were unable to tell us about their experience. We spoke with the registered manager and five care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care and medication records. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment, staff training and supervision, together with a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures. We observed medicines being administered and the support people received in communal areas, including the preparation and consumption of meals.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at personnel and quality assurance records that were sent to us. We spoke with one person's relative, two advocates representing each person living in the home and three community professionals.
Updated
11 March 2020
About the service
Pinkneys Road is a care home without nursing situated in a residential area of Maidenhead, Berkshire. The service can accommodate three people with complex learning disabilities or autism spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection, three people lived at the service. The home is a bungalow, with three bedrooms and communal living spaces on the ground floor.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
People living in the home were safe, supported by enough staff who understood their responsibilities to safeguard people from discrimination, neglect, and abuse. Staff had effectively identified and assessed risks to people’s health and safety, which were managed safely to protect them from harm. The service had very good staff retention and people experienced care from trusted staff who knew them well and how to meet their needs. The provider's recruitment policy reflected best practice and ensured only staff suitable to support people with a learning disability were appointed to work in the home. People received their prescribed medicines safely, from staff who had completed the required training and had their competency to do so regularly assessed. Staff ensured people lived in a home which was clean, hygienic and well maintained. Staff followed required food safety standards when preparing or handling food. Staff were supported to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses, which ensured action was taken to protect people from similar events in the future.
Staff understood and delivered care in line with standards from NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), other professional bodies or organisations and advice from specialist healthcare professionals. Staff received training and supervision to maintain and develop their skills and knowledge, which enabled them to support people with good quality care, which met their changing needs effectively. People were supported to have a healthy balanced diet and had access to the food and drink of their choice, when they wanted it. The service worked well with other agencies to achieve good outcomes for people, who were supported to access healthcare services and support when required. The environment was personalised to meet people's individual needs and the provider ensured all required specialist adaptive equipment needed to support people effectively was available.
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.
Staff effectively consulted with people’s relatives, advocates and care managers, where appropriate, regarding decisions about their care. This ensured their legal and human rights were upheld and decisions made about their care and support were in their best interest.
People experienced positive caring relationships with staff who consistently treated them with kindness and compassion in their day-to-day care. Staff supervisions and competency assessments ensured that people experienced care which respected their privacy and dignity, whilst protecting their human rights. Meaningful relationships developed within the home had a positive impact on people's wellbeing. Staff encouraged people to do as much for themselves as possible and to experience new things, to promote their independence and enrich the quality of their lives. People’s privacy and dignity were promoted by staff during the delivery of their care.
People were at the heart of the service and experienced person-centred care, which consistently achieved successful outcomes. Staff felt valued and respected by the management team who had created a true sense of family within the service. Staff were passionate about the people they supported and continuously strove to achieve good outcomes for them. People's communication needs had been assessed and communication support plans detailed what support they required to communicate effectively. People’s relatives and advocates told us that when they had raised concerns, these had been resolved quickly by the registered manager and staff. At the time of inspection, the service was not supporting anyone with end of life care. However, the registered manager had collaborated effectively with healthcare professionals, including palliative care specialists, when one person was assessed to require end of life care.
The registered manager effectively operated quality assurance and governance systems to drive continuous improvement in the service. The management team effectively collaborated with key organisations to ensure the safe and effective delivery of people’s care.
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 (report published 19 July 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.