Blossom View Respite Home

Updated 21 July 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection, we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by 2 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Blossom View Respite Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Blossom View Respite is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and people are often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 4 July 2023 and ended on 13 July 2023. We visited the service on 4 July 2023 and 10 July 2023.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 3 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 9 members of staff including the nominated individual, the registered manager, team leader, senior support workers, and support workers. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We looked at 2 care plans and associated risk assessments, medicines records, training records and audits.

Updated 21 July 2023

About the service

Blossom View Respite Home is a residential care home providing personal care and short breaks for up to 4 people. The service provides support to people with a learning disability and autistic people. At the time of our inspection,there were 4 people living at the service and 4 people receiving respite care.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people, and providers must have regard to it.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right Support: Staff supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence. Although staff and managers had values to support people to lead confident and inclusive lives, the environment of the home made this difficult. There was a large communal lounge and dining area that was not conducive to meeting the varied and complex needs of some of the people who used the service. The type and layout of the building therefore did not meet all the components of right support, right care, right culture.

Best practice guidance for people with a learning disability recommends living alone or with a small number of other people in shared housing with a small-scale domestic feel. The provider had tried to make the service homely, with people involved in choosing decorations and soft furnishings. There was also a smaller lounge for people to use. People who preferred quiet had a bedroom away from the main hub of the home, wherever possible.

Right Care: People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. People who had individual ways of communicating, using body language, sounds, Makaton (a form of sign language), pictures and symbols could interact comfortably with staff and others involved in their care and support because staff had the necessary skills to understand them.

Right Culture: People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments, or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care tailored to their needs. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 14 November 2017).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the providers understanding of the ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

We found no evidence during this inspection people were at risk of harm from this concern.

Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Blossom View Respite Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.