Archived: Churchill House

Updated 11 January 2017

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 8 December 2016 and was carried out by one inspector. This was a supported living service for people with a learning disability and autistic spectrum conditions living in their own homes in the community. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice of inspection to ensure the service’s registered manager would be available to meet us and to make arrangements for us to visit people who used the service in their own homes.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included previous inspection reports, statutory notifications (issues providers are legally required to notify us about), other enquiries received from or about the service and the Provider’s Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and the improvements they plan to make. The service was last inspected on 8 October 2013. At that time the service was meeting essential standards of quality and safety and no concerns were identified.

During this inspection we visited the person who used the service and met with one of their close relatives. We spoke to the registered manager and four members of the person’s core support staff team. We reviewed the person’s care and support plans and other records relevant to the running of the service. This included staff training records, medication records, and accident and incident reports.

Updated 11 January 2017

This inspection took place on 8 December 2016 and was carried out by one inspector.

This is a small supported living service for people with a learning disability and autistic spectrum conditions living in their own homes in the community. The service was given 48 hours’ notice of inspection to ensure the registered manager would be available to meet us and to make arrangements for us to visit people.

The service is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for the provision of personal care in people’s own homes. This includes assistance or prompting with washing, toileting, dressing, eating and drinking. We call this type of service a ‘supported living’ service. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care and support to just one person, who was living in their own single occupancy house in Burnham on Sea. The person had complex learning disability and autistic spectrum needs and required 24 hour staff support. A small number of other people who had previously used this service had recently moved to a nearby care home run by the same provider. The service provided the person with other forms of social care support that are not included within CQC’s registration requirements for a supported living service. For example, in addition to personal care, the service also assisted the person with their housekeeping, shopping, attending appointments and with other independent living skills.

The service was responsible solely for the provision of the person’s support services and had no control over the provision of their premises. This meant the person and their family could choose an alternative service provider if they wished.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they 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 registered manager was based at the provider’s Apple Tree House learning disability care home in Burnham on Sea.

The person who used the service and one of their close relatives told us they were very happy with the personal care and other support they received from the service. Staff were always available to prompt and support the person but they encouraged them to be as independent as possible with their daily living activities. The person told us “I shower on my own and get dressed on my own. I cook my own meals and I clean and do my own laundry”. This approach had boosted the person’s confidence and had enabled them to become much more self-reliant. The relative said that since the person had moved to the supported living service “They’re thriving with improved skills and independence”.

The person had their own core team of support staff assigned to them and had a say in the membership of the core team. Having a small consistent team ensured the person was familiar and comfortable with the staff who supported them; and that the staff understood the person’s needs and preferences well.

The person was supported to participate regularly in the local community through a variety of social and recreational activities. This was facilitated through links the service had with local voluntary shops and businesses, leisure facilities, specialist clubs and centres for people with learning disabilities.

The person was supported to maintain good health and well-being and to access external health care professionals when needed. Systems were in place to ensure they received their medicines safely.

The person and their relative told us the registered manager and the support staff were all very approachable and supportive. They said they could raise issues or concerns informally with any member of staff and they always received helpful responses.

Staff said everyone in the organisation, from the top down, focused on the well-being of the people they supported. Staff told us they could always rely on the registered manager for help and advice whenever needed. We also found the service had an effective quality monitoring system to ensure standards of service were maintained and improved.