Aqueduct Road

Updated 19 December 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 is 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 inspection took place on 27 September 2018 and was unannounced. There was one inspector in the inspection team.

As part of the inspection we looked at information we held about the service and we asked the local authority if they had any information to share with us about the home. The Local Authority is responsible for monitoring the quality and for funding some of the person’s living at the home.

During our inspection we spoke to one person who lived at the home and used different methods to gather other people’s experiences of what it was like to live at the home such as observations of staff interaction with the person. We also spoke to the registered manager and one member of staff.

We looked at records relating to the management of the service such as the care plans for two people, incident records, medicine management, staff meeting minutes and quality assurance records. We also received notifications the registered manager completed and sent into the CQC.

Updated 19 December 2018

Acquaduct Rd is a residential care home for up to two people with learning disabilities and Autism. The home is a small converted house in a residential area.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

The inspection took place on the 27 September 2018 and was unannounced.

There was a registered manager at this home. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered providers and registered managers 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.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

People were happy within the home and relaxed around staff they knew. Staff received safeguarding training and understood the signs of abuse, and systems were in place to guide them in reporting these. Staff understood people’s individual health needs and how to support each person. There were sufficient staff available to meet people’s needs and the registered manager supported staff in delivering care. Staff recruitment processes included background checks on the suitability of staff to work at the home. People received their medicines and checks were undertaken to ensure people received their medicines safely.

People were supported by staff that had access to training and guidance so that the care people received care based on best practice.

Staff were caring and promoted people’s independence and people were able to maintain important relationships with family and friends. People had food and drink they enjoyed and had choices available to them, to maintain a healthy diet. Staff knew the people who lived at the home well and were able to support them to eat and drink.

People were treated with kindness by staff that knew and understood their needs well. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible. Staff understood what each person was able to manage for themselves and what they required support with.

The registered manager promoted an inclusive approach by involving people and staff in making decisions about people’s care. Staff worked as small team that involved the registered manager in delivering care. Staff felt able to speak with and discuss issues that were important about peoples’ care with the registered manager. The registered manager had effective systems to monitor how care at the service was provided, to ensure people received quality care that was reviewed and updated regularly.