Howson Care Centre

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it. The provider was able to demonstrate they were meeting the principles of right support, right care, right culture.

The provider mostly had a proactive and positive culture of safety, however, record keeping of safety events did not always contain sufficient detail to enable suitable analysis. The service supported safe transitions between services, and risks related to people’s care were mostly well-managed. People were mostly protected by an effective safeguarding procedure, however, we found 2 safeguarding incidents that had not been reported to the appropriate authorities. People were supported by enough well trained, skilled and competent staff in a suitable and safe environment. Medicines and infection prevention control were well managed.

Personalised care plans and risk assessments were in place to ensure staff had guidance on how to meet people’s daily care needs. The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important to them. Staff worked well together as a team to provide consistent care and support. The provider mostly supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. However, the provider could not be fully assured people were always supported in the least restrictive way possible.

The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. The registered and deputy managers worked together to ensure consistent, reliable and competent leadership at the service. The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up. Staff spoke positively about the service and told us they felt valued by the provider. Quality assurance processes were in place that were mostly effective at identifying shortfalls and driving service improvements. The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people.