Walcott House

The home is a large adapted domestic style property that provides nine individual bedrooms with en-suite facilities and a range of communal areas people can access. Communal areas included a kitchen, lounge, dining area and sensory room. The service was designed and registered before the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other current best practice guidance were established. This guidance ensures that people who use services 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.

Although the service was registered for the support of up to nine people which is larger than current best practice guidance, people received personalised, planned and co-ordinated care to meet their needs. The home is situated in a residential area and there were deliberately no identifying signs, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them where appropriate in their best interests. We noted some aspects of the environment placed restrictions on people accessing rooms or cupboards, to maintain their safety. The provider had completed a recent consultation process and had an action plan to review and ensure least restrictive practices were implemented throughout the environment. This is in-line with the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. The purpose of these principles ensures 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. Most outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People's care plans were person centred and provided staff with detailed information on who they are and

how they would like their needs met. People were supported to manage their health and well-being, which included input where appropriate from relevant health and social care professionals. People were provided with a range of opportunities to engage in activities both inside the home and local community, which were tailored to meet people's individual needs and interests.

The systems in place to monitor and review the delivery of care were not always effective and required improvement. This included infection control practices and oversight of people's prescribed topical creams. The provider took immediate action to address our findings and reviewed the service governance to ensure procedures were more robust. We received positive feedback from relatives and a healthcare professional, who praised the leadership of the registered manager and relationship's built with people using the service.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and most 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, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.