Archived: Short Term Breaks - 69 Neithrop Avenue

Updated 26 April 2018

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 comprehensive inspection took place on 9 March 2018. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because the location provides short term breaks. Therefore, we needed to be sure that staff would be in and there were people receiving support when we visited.

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and one Expert by Experience who telephoned relatives for their views on the service. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

We also reviewed statutory notifications that the service had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. Before the inspection, we had asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). The provider had not completed the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we made the judgements in this report.

We spoke with two people who used the service, eight relatives, the nominated individual (responsible for supervising the management of the regulated activity provided), the service manager, the acting manager and deputy manager and two members of staff. We looked at records including three care plans, two staff files including recruitment information.

Updated 26 April 2018

We undertook an announced inspection on 9 March 2018. Short Term Breaks - 69 Neithrop Avenue is a service where people receive accommodation and personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service offers people with a physical or learning disability short term breaks throughout the year. At the time of the inspection the service was providing short term breaks to 33 people throughout the year. At the time of our inspection three people were staying at the service.

The care service had been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

The service did not have a registered manager at the time of the inspection. The provider was proposing to register an existing registered manager at another service to oversee 69 Neithrop Avenue. In the meantime the service was overseen by a service manager, a Community Support Leader and a deputy manager. Support was also provided from the nominated individual (a nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the regulated activity provided) and a registered manager from another service. 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.

Rating at last inspection: Good

At our last inspection in October 2015 we rated the service as Good overall. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Why the service is rated Good:

The provider was not fully following the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. We have made a recommendation about the provider ensuring all guidance is referred to.

The service had not always notified the Care Quality Commission about changes that affected the service. We have made a recommendation that provider reviews their internal processes to ensure that all notifications are submitted as required.

The service was being managed, in the absence of a registered manager, by staff in the service that were supported by a service manager and the nominated individual.

People remained safe at the service. Staff knew how to recognise safeguarding concerns and what to do if they suspected any abuse. Risk assessments were carried out to promote people’s well-being and recognise people’s individual abilities. There were enough staff to keep people safe and the provider followed safe recruitment procedures. Medicines were administered in line with guidance.

People continued to receive support from effective staff. People’s needs had been fully assessed to ensure that staff had guidance to meet these needs. Staff were knowledgeable, skilled and had the relevant skills and experience. Records confirmed staff received regular supervision sessions and they told us they were well supported.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

People were supported to access health professionals when needed and staff worked closely with various external professionals to ensure people’s health needs were met. People were given choice about what they ate alongside appropriate support to ensure a balanced diet.

The service continued to support people in a kind and caring way. People were treated with kindness and as individuals. People were involved in decisions about their care needs and the support they received. People’s dignity, privacy and confidentiality were respected, and they received person centred care that included access to information that met their needs.

The service remained responsive to people's needs and ensured people’s changing needs were recognised and appropriate changes to support were implemented promptly. People were supported to raise concerns if necessary.

The management team were keen to ensured staff put people at the forefront of the service delivery. There was an open and positive culture that valued and engaged people, relatives and staff. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. The service worked well with various external professionals to ensure people received the input they needed from all sources.