Archived: Limecroft Resource Centre

Updated 14 May 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 1 and 3 March and was unannounced.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we held about the service including safeguarding alerts, and notifications of events that affect the service. We also spoke with a local authority commissioner to gather their views. We had not requested the service complete a provider information return (PIR); this is a form that asks the provider to give us some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. However, before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service including notifications the provider had sent to us. We contacted the local commissioning team and the local Healthwatch organisation to obtain their views about the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. Healthwatch and local commissioners told us they had no concerns with Limecroft Resource Centre

During our time in the home we observed the care and support being provided to people. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We looked at the care records for 3 people who used the service and the Medication Administration Record (MAR) charts for 6 people. In addition we looked around the service and reviewed a range of records relating to how the service was managed; these included four staff personnel files, training records, quality assurance systems and policies and procedures.

Over the two day inspection we spoke with four people who used the service, however some were unable to tell us about their experiences due to their complex communication needs so we observed the care and support they received from staff. We also spoke with three relatives who visited on the second day of the inspection. We spoke with six care workers, the registered manager, the service manager and a social worker who visited the service regularly.

Updated 14 May 2016

This was unannounced inspection which took place on 1 and 3 March 2015.

Limecroft Resource Centre provides respite accommodation and assessment following hospital stay for up to twenty people who live with their families or unpaid carers. 3 people regularly used the service at the time of our inspection, for regular and emergency respite for a number of days per year based on local authority assessment of needs. There were twelve people staying at Limecroft Resource Centre when we visited.

The service is provided in a large, two-storey purpose-built building that is accessible for people who use wheelchairs or have other mobility limitations. There were five en-suite rooms and there is a garden for people to use.

There was a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We found that the service provided safe, care that met people’s needs. Risks associated with people’s support were assessed and guidelines put in place to reduce those risks.

People and their relatives were very positive about the caring nature of the staff at Limecroft Resource Centre.

People were encouraged to express their preferences about their support and there were systems in place to ensure people who did not always communicate verbally could have their say. Staff were caring and compassionate.

We have made a recommendation about care plans detailing the personal preferences of people who use the service.

Staff received appropriate support through training, supervision and appraisal of their work.

Staff knew what to do to keep people safe. There were appropriate procedures in place to ensure they knew how to report any concerns about people and these were acted upon.

Staff supported people to eat nutritious food and access health care facilities when they needed to. Staff received appropriate training and support to ensure they met people’s needs safely and were competent for their roles.

We saw that staff were caring, kind and compassionate.

We have made a recommendation about the provision of activities for people staying at Limecroft Resource Centre.

The registered manager sought feedback about the service from people, their relatives and carers. People knew how to complain if they wished to. The registered manager checked the service regularly and made changes to improve the service where identified.