Rowsley House

Updated 9 January 2019

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 comprehensive inspection took place on 13 and 14 November 2018 and the first day was unannounced. This meant the service did not know we were coming. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed information available to us about this service. The registered provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed safeguarding referrals and notifications that had been sent to us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

During our inspection visit, we spoke with three people and three relatives. We spoke with the registered manager, one senior support worker and three support staff. Following our site visit, we contacted Manchester and Salford local authorities and three health and social care professionals. We received positive feedback from them.

We reviewed two people's care records, looked at four staff files and reviewed records relating to the running of the service. These included medicines management, staff induction and training, house and staff meetings and how the registered person monitored the quality of the service.

Updated 9 January 2019

Rowsley House is a residential care home that can accommodate up to seven people with learning disabilities and autism. The service is located in a large adapted and detached house. Accommodation is provided across three floors and the upper floors can be accessed by a passenger lift.

This inspection took place on 13 and 14 November 2018 and the first day was unannounced. At our last inspection in January 2016, 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 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.

There were adequate systems in place to help ensure people were safeguarded. For example, recruitment processes were robust, enough staff were deployed to support people’s needs, medications were stored and administered appropriately, and regular environmental and equipment checks were carried out. People and relatives told us Rowsley House was a safe environment in which to live.

The service worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and made appropriate applications for the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff had the relevant skills and experience to carry out their role effectively and received support from their line manager in the form of regular supervisions and annual appraisals.

People told us they were well cared for by the staff team who knew them well and understood their support needs. People told us they liked the staff and we saw they had good relationships with them. Staff’s approach was very caring and empathetic, and we saw that they carried out their duties in a friendly yet professional way.

The service responded to people’s needs by ensuring support plans were person-centred and contained relevant and up-to-date information. Information was communicated to people in a format that they could understand. Within the home and in the community, people engaged in activities that were meaningful and enjoyable to them. People’s end of life wishes were discussed; some information around these discussions was recorded within their support plans.

The service had a policy and procedures in place to manage complaints or concerns raised. People and their relatives said they could approach any staff member or the registered manager if they needed to raise a concern or complaint. Since our last inspection, no complaints had been received.

There were adequate processes in place to help ensure the quality of the service was monitored. The staff team worked well together. The registered manager felt supported by staff. Staff told us the registered manager trusted their knowledge and expertise and this empowered them to carry out their roles effectively.

Regular engagement with people and their relatives helped to ensure their opinions and suggestions were heard and acted on. There were policies and procedures in place and regular staff meetings were held to help ensure staff were supported to undertake their role effectively.

The provider complied with the legal obligation to display its most recent rating within the home and on their website.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.