Pine Park House

Updated 16 August 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 an inspector.

Pine Park House 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.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 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. Also, because the registered manager manages two services and we needed to be sure they would be available to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people to ask them about their experience of the care provided. We looked at three people's care records and at one person’s medicine administration records. We spent time in communal areas and observed staff interactions with people.

We spoke with the registered manager, local resource manager, and with five care staff. We looked at systems for recruitment, supervision, appraisal and at staff training records. We also looked at quality monitoring records relating to the management of the service. We sought feedback from commissioners, and health and social care professionals who worked with staff at the home. We received a response from two of them.

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 registered manager 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.

Updated 16 August 2019

About the service

Pine Park House is a care home that provides personal care to a maximum of six people with a learning disability. People who use the service live at home with their families and are admitted for planned short breaks (respite). This service helps supports people to continue to live at home with their families. 23 people and their families currently use the service. There were five people staying at the service when we visited. Two people went home in the morning, and two more people arrived in the afternoon.

The home is situated in a residential area on outskirts of Honiton. It is a two -storey adapted building with three bedrooms on the ground floor and three bedrooms upstairs.

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 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 enjoyed staying at Pine Park House and felt safe and well cared for. There was a happy atmosphere with lots of laughter and good-humour. People were supported by a small group of caring and compassionate staff they knew well and had built trusting relationships with. People were supported to express their views, and care was organised around their individual needs. Staff promoted people to be as independent as possible and upheld their right to privacy.

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.

People received effective care and consistent support from experienced staff with the right skills to meet their needs. Staff monitored people’s health and wellbeing and worked with other professionals to make sure people received the treatment they required.

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 received personalised care to meet their needs. They took part in activities and pursued their hobbies and interests. People enjoyed a variety of social activities which included in house activities, trips out, social events, and attendance at day services.

People were protected from abuse by staff who were aware of the different types of abuse, and ways to protect people. People received their medicines safely and on time.

The service was well led by the registered manager and their deputy. The culture was open and promoted person centred values. People, relatives and staff views were sought and taken into account in how the service was run. The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided and made improvements in response to their findings.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (report published 8 February 2017). At this inspection the service remained 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.