Welbeck House

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choice, independence and access to local communities that most people take for granted. We found the service provided care in a manner that met this guidance.

The provider had systems and processes to review and monitor the safety and quality of care. Staff understood the safeguarding procedures in place and felt confident concerns would be acted upon by management. Staff were recruited safely and received training and supervision to support them in their roles. Staff understood people’s needs and could describe risks associated with any health conditions. People were protected and kept safe as staff understood their roles and managed risks. There were processes in place for people to speak up if they had any concerns.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and to ensure additional support in an emergency situation. There was a very low staff turnover. This meant staff knew people well and were able to identify the subtle cues that indicated when people might not be feeling well or if they were in pain. Staff told us it was a great place to work, and they valued the support they received from the registered manager, the deputy manager and the provider. They felt supported and valued as part of the staff team. The service made reasonable adjustments with staff when needed to ensure a good work life balance. We observed staff interacting warmly with people and saw that people responded well to this.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected people’s privacy and dignity. They treated people as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and were encouraged to maintain relationships with family and friends. Staff responded to people’s needs in a timely way. The service provided people with information they could easily understand and access.

Care plans reflected current best practice in how to support people with a learning disability and autistic people safely and effectively.The registered manager demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement and was responsive to any feedback we gave during the assessment.However, the systems used to review and monitor medicines were not always effective. Audits had not identified gaps in medicine discrepancies.