Highbury House

People were supported to see healthcare professionals when they were unwell. Health action plans and hospital passports were also in place.

“People were supported to visit healthcare professionals when unwell.” from the report

Regular staff had training to recognise and report abuse and said they would feel able to raise concerns.

“The regular staff on duty had been trained to recognise and report abuse.” from the report

Some bedrooms had been redecorated and reflected people's individual tastes. Refurbishment work was continuing in the properties.

“Some people's bedrooms had been redecorated and were personalised to people's individual taste.” from the report

Staff were seen supporting people to make day-to-day decisions, including choices about where to go in the community.

“Staff were seen supporting people to make day to day decisions.” from the report

Staffing levels were sometimes below the home's expected level. This meant some people's needs were prioritised and other people had less access to meaningful activities.

“There were insufficient numbers of suitably qualified and experienced staff being deployed to meet people's needs and mitigate any potential harm.” from the report

There was a backlog of accident and incident reports. This meant the home could not be sure that possible abuse or repeated harm had been identified and acted on quickly.

“Robust procedures were not in place to ensure potential abuse was investigated and responded to in a timely manner.” from the report

The home could not show that safety checks had been completed regularly or that actions from risk assessments had been dealt with. Some risk assessments were not updated after serious incidents.

“The new systems had not been implemented sufficiently to ensure health and safety risks were being mitigated.” from the report

Several DoLS authorisations had expired. The home could not locate evidence that restrictions had been properly considered and agreed in people's best interests.

“People were subject to restrictions which could not be evidenced to be in their best interests.” from the report

Some care plans and behaviour support information were inaccurate or had not been updated after changes in training. This was particularly concerning because agency staff relied on the plans.

“People's needs were assessed, and care plans were in place, but it was evident that reviews and updates were required to ensure the information was accurate.” from the report

Staffing problems and inconsistent support limited what some people could do. Community activities reduced during the pandemic and had not fully restarted.

“Community engagement decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic and had not been fully recommenced.” from the report