Leighside

Leighside is a residential care home that provides personal care and support for up to five people with learning disabilities and autistic people. Recent inspection findings show that residents benefit from a safe environment, well-managed medication, and staff who understand how to support them with daily tasks and emotional wellbeing. However, the service has experienced recent changes in management and staffing, which has impacted overall leadership, communication with families, and consistency in monitoring quality.

The service maintains a safe environment with appropriate safeguarding procedures, thorough staff recruitment checks, and strong infection prevention and control measures. While staff manage risks well and involve residents in keeping safe, internal audits highlighted that some personal emergency evacuation plans were not yet fully completed.

Care is tailored to individual needs, with detailed support plans and health checks in place to monitor wellbeing. Staff work within legal frameworks for mental capacity, though some specific best interest decisions and mental capacity assessments still need to be updated.

Residents are encouraged to maintain independence, make day-to-day choices, and participate in activities suited to their routines. Staff receive specialized training, including positive behaviour support, and ensure that people are treated with dignity and respect.

Feedback from relatives has been mixed regarding communication and the variety of activities available. The provider is actively working on updating support plans onto an electronic system and reviewing funding to expand activity options for residents.

Leadership and management have been inconsistent following recent changes in the management team and a period without a permanent registered manager, though a new manager has now been appointed. While quality monitoring systems are in place, recent internal checks showed that actions to improve safety and record-keeping were not always completed in a timely manner.