Tidings

Updated 24 May 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 carried out by 1 inspector who visited the home and an Expert by Experience who made phone calls to people’s relatives. 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

Tidings 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. Tidings 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 a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at the information we had received from and about the service.

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 used information gathered as part of CQC's monitoring activity that took place on 4 October 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 6 people who lived at the home and 7 members of staff. We also spoke with 4 relatives and 2 visiting professionals. We observed interactions in communal areas. The registered manager was not available at the time of the inspection but the manager who has day to day oversight and the nominated individual were present. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

During the inspection we looked at a variety of records relating to people’s care and the running of the home. This included 2 staff recruitment files, 2 care plans, a sample of medication administration records, copies of audits and health and safety records.

Updated 24 May 2023

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.

About the service

Tidings is a care home which is registered to support up to 13 people. The home specialises in the care of people with a learning disability and people with mental health issues. Some people at the home had degenerative conditions which resulted in complex physical and mental health needs. At the time of the inspection there were 12 people living at the home.

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

Right Support:

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.

People were able to make choices about their day to day lives and how they wished to spend their time.

People received very personalised care which was built around their needs and wishes. This enabled people to gain independence and follow their own interests.

Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence and achieved the best possible health outcome. Staff worked with other professionals to avoid people taking unnecessary medicines.

Staff supported people to access healthcare services which were appropriate to their individual needs. Visiting professionals praised how well staff worked with people to meet their healthcare needs.

Right Care:

People received kind and compassionate care from staff who were respectful and friendly.

People were kept safe from avoidable harm because the home had a clear policy to support staff to recognise and report abuse or poor care. Staff spoken with said they would be confident to report any concerns about possible abuse or poor practice. People told us they felt safe and well looked after.

The home had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. Staff had a good understanding of people’s needs and were flexible to enable them to meet changing needs and wishes.

People’s care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life. Risk assessments were carried out to enable people, not to restrict them.

People’s legal rights were protected because staff understood how to support people to make decisions or to make decisions in the person’s best interests.

Right Culture:

People were supported by a management team who worked hard to promote a culture where people were valued and respected as individuals. This culture enabled people to develop and flourish. Staff spoken with were committed to providing high quality personalised care.

There was a family type atmosphere where people felt included and ‘at home.’

The staff and management team were open and approachable. People said they could talk to any member of staff at any time and would feel listened to. Relatives told us they were always made welcome.

Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. Staff worked around people’s personal routines.

People told us they were happy at the home. Relatives and professionals praised the quality of the care and support provided to people.

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 (published 24 May 2018.)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and the length of time since the last inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

This was a focused inspection looking at safe, effective and well-led key questions only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Tidings on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

The overall rating for the service has not changed from good based on the findings of this inspection.

Follow up

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