We carried out this visit to check on the care and welfare of people using this service. The visit was unannounced which meant the provider and the staff did not know we were coming. We carried out this visit as part of our schedule of planned inspections.The service provided respite care and on the day of our visit three people were receiving a service. Following our visit we telephoned four people who use the service to gain views. Some people using the service had special communication needs and where it was not possible to speak to people, we spoke to a relative to gain their views about the quality of service provision.
During our visit we saw examples of staff interacting well with people staying in the home. Staff spoke respectfully, and people reacted positively when the staff engaged with them. People we spoke with told us that staff were helpful and kind and said, 'The staff here are good. They help me.'
People were provided with choices about how they lived their lives. They told us they chose how they spent their day and could carry on attending their usual day placements whilst receiving respite care. We saw people were able to choose what to have for lunch and chose what to drink.
There was a range of activities available to people in groups or on an individual basis. Staff and people using the service told us this included going out for a meal, going to local pubs and the cinema. The week before our visit, people had been invited to attend an Olympic sporting event at the service. People told us they had enjoyed this, saying, 'We got to meet up with everybody, we had a good time.' And 'It was fun.'
We observed staff providing support in the home and saw people were treated with respect. Personal care issues were discussed sensitively and discreetly.
The provision of respite care meant that different people received support each week and the number of staff on duty could change. We saw that staffing had not always been provided to match the dependency needs of people using the service and this meant people could be placed at risk.
We spoke with relatives who told us they were happy with the service offered at the home. We were told that staff were friendly and polite. Relatives told us they had good communication with the staff team and felt they would be listened to should they have cause to raise concerns or complaints.
Relatives told us they had opportunities to look around the home and meet the staff before deciding to use the service for their son or daughter's short stay. Relatives told us they felt their sons and daughters were safe at the home.