56 Stone Lane

Updated 14 February 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:

56 Stone Lane is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as 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 who was registered with the Care Quality Commission. A registered manager 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 announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

Some people using the service were unable to speak with us, so we used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We spoke with two relatives over the telephone about their experience of the care provided to their loved ones. We spoke with the registered manager, the home manager and two care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records, two staff files in relation to recruitment, and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and health and safety documentation.

Updated 14 February 2020

About the service

56 Stone Lane is a converted residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to three people with a learning disability. The service can support up to three people and is based in a residential area of Worthing, West Sussex.

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 and physical 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 and what we found

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.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

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 appeared happy and relatives told us they were pleased with the care and support received. A relative told us, “I’m very happy with the care they give, [my relative] absolutely loves the staff and being there”. Staff were friendly and attentive to people’s needs and our observations showed there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were trained and felt supported.

People felt safe and staff were aware of how to promote people’s safety. Regular checks were in place to ensure staff worked in accordance with training and health and safety guidance adhered to.

The environment had plenty of communal space for people to enjoy. People enjoyed the activities that were provided, staff told us there were many opportunities for people to go out and people were living fuller lives. A relative told us, “There’s things they’ve supported [my relative] with like using public transport. I didn’t think that would ever be possible”.

People were involved in planning their care and their views and preferences were acted upon. Feedback about the registered manager and staff team was positive. There was an open culture in the service and an expectation that people were supported in a person-centred way. Staff were clear about their roles and the management team engaged well with the team and other agencies.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

The last rating for this service was Good (published 14 June 2017). At this inspection the service has remained rated as Good.

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.