We carried out a review of the data available to us about Summer Cottage on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Summer Cottage, you can give feedback on this service.
Summer Cottage is a residential care home providing personal care for up to two people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorders. At the time of this inspection there were two people living there. The property is a bungalow on a residential housing estate on the edge of Chudleigh. There are no outward signs that it is a care home.
Summer Cottage is registered under the provider name of Dalskats Limited and operates under a brand name of "Home Orchard, along with three other local services. The three other services and Summer Cottage share some administrative facilities, records and management systems, and are all located within approximately 400 yards of each other. The services work closely together; staff work between the services by agreement and people living in each service mix socially and share some day activities.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People living at Summer Cottage enjoyed active and fulfilling lives. They were able to use the facilities in the grounds of Palace Farm nearby where they could participate in activities such as gardening, bee keeping, animal care, games, arts and crafts. Palace Farm is a smallholding which was set up for people with learning disabilities who live in the four homes run by the provider. People told us about enjoyed activities in the local community such as clubs, walking groups and meeting friends. A member of staff said, “If a resident has an interest it is actively encouraged”.
There was a stable, happy and well-trained staff group. There were enough staff to support each person in their daily activities. Care was taken when recruiting staff to ensure new staff were entirely suitable for the job. People were involved in choosing new staff. A relative said, “Staff know her well. They can recognise the signs of any upset”. Another relative said, “The staff very good. I am happy with the support. They know her very well - what makes her tick”.
People were given help and encouragement by staff to keep their home clean. The bungalow was well maintained and safe. People were involved and consulted in all aspects of the home. Each person’s bedroom was decorated and furnished to reflect their interests and preferences. Risk assessments had been carried out on the environment, equipment, and on people’s health, wellbeing and daily activities. Support plans explained each person’s health and personal care needs and how they wanted to be supported.
People were supported to eat a healthy diet. They used eggs, fruit, vegetables and honey from the gardens at Palace Farm along with other ingredients from local shops. People told us how they chose their own meals and helped to prepare them.
The service was well-led. People, staff and relatives praised the providers and management team for their caring ethos. A member of staff told us, “(The provider’s) ethos is good. Independence, dignity and respect. (The providers) are always looking to improve. They want the best for everyone." There were systems in place to ensure the service was well run. The providers sought the views of people living there, staff and relatives through questionnaires, meetings, supervisions and reviews. People, staff and relatives were involved and consulted about all areas of the home and care provided.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 22 September 2017)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
This inspection took place on 20 June 2017 and was unannounced.
Summer Cottage is registered under the provider name of Dalskats limited, and operates under a brand name of “Home Orchard”, along with three other local services. One of the other services is registered under a partnership, but remains under the brand name of Home Orchard. The three other services and Summer Cottage share some administrative facilities, records and management systems, and are all located within approximately 400 yards of each other. The services work closely together; staff work between the services by agreement and people living in each service mix socially and share some day activities. One of the services, Palace Farm, operates as a small holding with horses, sheep and growing vegetable crops.
The service has a registered manager. 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. The registered manager is also a director of the company.
Summer Cottage and Dalskats Limited had a clear ethos and philosophy which was shared among the staff and management team. Senior staff operated clear and effective oversight of the home. This helped ensure people received consistent care and staff received the support and guidance needed to enable them to carry out their role working with people in line with good practice.
People were protected from the risk of abuse as staff understood the signs of abuse and how to report concerns. Policies, procedures and information were available to help staff in raising any concerns, including in an easy read format. Staff were friendly and positive in their relationships with people, and we saw people seeking support and reassurance from staff during the inspection.
There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs and ensure they could lead a full and active life. People at the home were supported by one to one staffing levels throughout the day, which meant people could follow activities and lifestyles of their choice. Staff recruitment systems were robust, and ensured people were not cared for by staff who were unsuitable to be supporting people who may be vulnerable. Staff had the skills and support they needed to ensure people’s care needs were met. Staff received training that helped them understand the experiences of people living at the service and how to support them. They also had training in core areas such as first aid and healthcare conditions such as epilepsy. Staff worked well as a team.
People’s healthcare was promoted. The service worked with other agencies and professionals to ensure specialist support was provided when needed. This included specialist help to reduce people’s anxiety regarding healthcare and ‘hospital passports’ to provide information for hospital staff about how to support the person in an unfamiliar environment. People’s medicines were stored securely and people received their medicines as prescribed to promote their health.
People were supported to take risks to ensure they were able to have opportunities to live a full and active life. Risks to people from activities, support, their healthcare needs or the environment were identified and plans were put in place to minimise these risks.
People’s rights were respected. Staff had a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how it worked in practice to support people’s rights and decision making. Where people lacked capacity to make an informed decision, staff acted in their best interests, and this was recorded. Appropriate applications had been made to deprive people of their liberty under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
People were supported to have enough to eat and drink, and to be involved in shopping for and preparing their own meals with staff support. Snacks and drinks were available, and people had free access to the kitchen to help themselves to drinks if they wished.
People were encouraged to have a say in how the service was run, and to make choices each day, for example about what activities they followed and what meals they ate. The service had a happy and welcoming atmosphere. People were treated with dignity and respect; their privacy was maintained and staff understood when people wanted to engage with them and when they wanted quiet time to themselves. People were encouraged to maintain positive relationships with people outside of the service. This included maintaining contacts with friends and family and celebrating people of importance to them.
Staff understood people’s needs well, and ensured their care plans including personal aspirations were met. We saw staff reviewed these plans to reflect any changes and reflected upon strategies to ensure they were the most effective to support the person. We saw support that showed us the plans were being followed.
People took part in personalised activities that met their choices and interests. People mixed with other local services run by Dalskats Limited as well as the local community, and had opportunities to follow their interests and hobbies. Staff told us they were always looking for new experiences for people to try, for example a staff member was looking into canoeing facilities in the area.
The provider had systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality of care. This included gathering the views of people living at Summer Cottage about what was working well and what could be improved. Systems were in place to ensure complaints were responded to and investigated. Systems were in place to support people raise concerns, including regular contact with an advocacy service who supported people to complete questionnaires and attend meetings to air any views.
Records were well maintained and kept securely. The service had notified the Care Quality Commission (CQC) of incidents at the service as required by law.