Archived: Harewood House

Updated 14 July 2018

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 was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This comprehensive inspection took place on 17 June 2018 and was unannounced. One adult social care inspector carried out this inspection. Prior to the inspection, we reviewed the information we had about the home, including notifications of events the service is required by law to send us.

We did not conduct a SOFI during this inspection. SOFI (Short Observational Framework for Inspection) is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who are unable to talk to us. This was due to people being able to speak with us about their experience of the service.

We spoke with all four people who were in Harewood House at the time of our inspection and one relative. We spoke with one member of care staff and the provider during our inspection. Following our inspection we spoke with the registered manager.

One person showed us around the home and we spent time with people in the dining room. We observed how staff interacted with people throughout the inspection and spent time with people over the lunchtime period.

We looked at the ways in which medicines were recorded, stored and administered to people. We also looked at the way in which meals were prepared and served. We reviewed in detail the care provided to three people, looking at their files and other records. We reviewed information about the recruitment and supervision of three staff members and other records relating to the operation of the service, such as risk assessments, complaints, accidents and incidents, policies and procedures.

Updated 14 July 2018

Harewood House is a residential care home providing personal care for up to seven people with learning disabilities and complex needs. Nursing care is not provided at the home. This is provided by the community nursing service. At the time of our inspection there were six people living in Harewood House but two had gone away on holiday.

At the last inspection in May 2016 the service was rated Good overall and Requires Improvement in the Well-Led key question. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good in Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive. We found Well-Led had improved to a Good rating. The inspection is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Why the service is rated Good.

People who lived in Harewood House were provided with high quality care and support which met their individual needs and was person centred. Comments from people who lived in the home included; “I’m really happy here” and “I love it.”

Harewood House was family owned and run. Some people had lived in the home for over 18 years. Others had lived in a previous home owned by the provider before moving to Harewood House and had therefore known them for over 24 years. People commented on the family feeling of the home and they referred to the provider as their ‘aunty’.

People spoke highly of the staff who worked at the home and told us they had been involved in their recruitment. Recruitment procedures were in place to help ensure only people of good character were employed by the home. Staff underwent Disclosure and Barring Service (police record) checks before they started work. Staffing numbers at the home were sufficient to meet people’s needs. Staff had the competencies and information they required in order to meet people’s needs. Staff received sufficient training as well as regular supervision and appraisal. Staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and put this into practice.

Staff treated people with respect and kindness. There was a warm and pleasant atmosphere at the home where people and staff shared jokes and laughter. Staff knew people and their preferences well. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink in ways that met their needs and preferences. Meal times were social events and people spoke highly of the food at the home.

People who lived in Harewood House had a variety of needs with some being very independent and others requiring a lot of support. People were protected from risks relating to their health, mobility, medicines, nutrition and potential abuse. Staff had assessed individual risks to people and taken action to seek guidance and minimise identified risks. Staff knew how to recognise potential signs of abuse and how to raise concerns.

Where accidents and incidents had taken place, these had been reviewed and action had been taken to reduce the risks of reoccurrences. Staff supported people to take their medicines safely and staffs knowledge relating to the administration of medicines was regularly checked.

People, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals were asked for their feedback and suggestions in order to improve the service. There were systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the care and support being delivered.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.