Updated 30 April 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors, a specialist advisor and an Expert-by Experience. The specialist advisor looked at the services care planning arrangements and medicines procedures. The Expert-by-Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The Expert by Experience had a background supporting people with a learning disability.
Service and service type:
Beaumont College is a specialist college service. These services provide education, care and training in independence for young people with learning disabilities and or physical disabilities. The colleges are first and foremost educational establishments and are regulated by Ofsted. The personal care and accommodation provided by a college is regulated by the Care Quality Commission where 10% or more of the students require personal care.
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.
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.
Notice of inspection:
This comprehensive inspection visit took place on 08 April 2019 and was unannounced.
What we did:
Before our inspection we completed our planning tool and reviewed the information we held on the service. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of young people supported by the service.
We also checked to see if any information concerning the care and welfare of young people supported by the service had been received. We contacted the commissioning department at Lancashire County Council and Healthwatch Lancashire. Healthwatch Lancashire is an independent consumer champion for health and social care. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced accessing the service.
As part of the inspection we used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Returns. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
During the inspection visit we spoke with a range of people about the service. They included two young people staying at the residential service at the college and seven family members. We also spoke with the college principal, registered manager, deputy manager, and five staff members. We observed care practices and how staff interacted with young people in their care. This helped us understand the experience of young people supported by the services.
We looked at care records of five young people, staff recruitment, training, supervision records and arrangements for meal provision. We also looked at records relating to the management of the home and the medicines records of four young people. We reviewed the services staffing levels and walked around the building to ensure it was clean, hygienic and a safe place for young people to stay.