Background to this inspection
Updated
14 September 2019
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
Dimensions Somerset Ashbury 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 registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. At the time of the inspection the registered manager was in the process of de-registering and an acting manager was in post.
Notice of inspection
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
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 looked information we had about the home and at notifications received from the service. A notification is the means by which providers tell us important information that affects the running of the service and the care people receive. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection-
During the inspection we met with all seven people who lived at the home. People were unable to fully participate in discussions about the care and support they received. We were able to observe staff interactions with people in the communal areas. We spoke with seven members of staff. The registered manager was not available during the inspection but an acting manager and operations director for the provider were available.
We looked at a selection of records which included;
Two care and support plans
Records of staff meetings
Medication Administration Records (MARs.)
Health and safety records
After the inspection
The provider sent information to help to validate the information seen during our site visit. This included training data, information about complaints and results of satisfaction surveys.
Updated
14 September 2019
About the service
Dimensions Somerset Ashbury is a residential care home which is able to provide personal care and accommodation to up to eight people. The home specialises in the care of people who have a learning disability. At the time of the inspection seven people lived at the home.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The home had been open for some years and therefore had not been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. However, 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 and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible to make choices about their care and lifestyle.
People were cared for by staff who worked together to meet people’s needs. Staff felt well supported and happy in their roles. This helped to create a relaxed and happy atmosphere for people to live in.
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. People were supported by staff who knew them well and were able to communicate with them in their chosen way. This ensured people could make choices about their day to day routines.
People were supported by adequate numbers of trained and experienced staff to keep them safe and meet their needs. The provider had a robust recruitment process which helped to minimise the risks of abuse to people. People were very comfortable and relaxed with the staff who supported them.
People’s needs were assessed, recorded and met. Each person had a support plan which gave staff guidance about how people preferred to be cared for. Staff knew people well and were able to provide very individualised support to people.
The provider worked with other health and social care professionals to make sure people received the care and treatment they required. This included meeting changing health care needs and end of life care.
People benefitted from a provider and management team who has systems in place to monitor quality and implement improvements to the service people received. People were involved in decisions about the running of the home according to their abilities.
The Secretary of State has asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to conduct a thematic review and to make recommendations about the use of restrictive interventions in settings that provide care for people with or who might have mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or autism.
Thematic reviews look in-depth at specific issues concerning quality of care across the health and social care sectors. They expand our understanding of both good and poor practice and of the potential drivers of improvement.
As part of thematic review, we carried out a survey with the operations director at this inspection. This considered whether the service used any restrictive intervention practices (restraint, seclusion and segregation) when supporting people.
The service used positive behaviour support principles to support people in the least restrictive way. No restrictive intervention practices were used.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection (and update) The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 18 July 2018.) There were no breaches of regulations.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Dimensions Somerset Ashbury on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.