Archived: The Cottage Care Home

Updated 2 September 2015

We undertook an unannounced focused inspection of The Cottage Care Home on 21 and 23 July 2015. This inspection was completed to check that improvements to meet legal requirements planned by the provider after our comprehensive inspection on 20 and 22 January 2015 had been made. We inspected the service against three of the five questions we ask about services: is the service safe, effective and well-led. This is because the service was not meeting some legal requirements in relation to these questions.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the home. This included the provider’s action plan, which set out the action they would take to meet legal requirements, and notifications submitted by the provider. Providers tell us about important events relating to the service they provide using a notification.

The inspection was completed by one inspector. During the visit we spent time observing the care provided and interactions between staff and people living at the home. We spoke with the registered manager and three staff. We reviewed information recorded in four people’s support plans, incident records, quality monitoring documents and records for three members of staff.

Updated 2 September 2015

This inspection took place on 20 and 22 January 2015 and was unannounced. The Cottage Care Home provides accommodation and personal care for four adults with a learning disability or an autistic spectrum condition. Both younger and older adults use the service. The four people living at the home had a range of support needs including help with communication, personal care, moving about and support if they became confused or anxious. Staff support was provided at the home at all times and people required the support of one or more staff when away from the home.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection on 6 August 2014, we asked the provider to take action to make improvements to the way medicines were stored and recorded. This action has been completed.

We found three breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The evidence was gathered prior to 1 April 2015 when the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 were in force.

Accurate records relating to medicines, risk assessments and evacuation plans were not available in some instances. People had decisions made on their behalf that were not fully documented to make sure their changing needs and circumstances were addressed. We had not received some relevant notifications from the service. Services tell us about important events relating to the service they provide using a notification. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.

People were supported by a caring staff team who knew them well and treated them as individuals. For example, staff understood the ways each person communicated their needs and preferences. One relative said “Brandon Trust have given him a wonderful life. They support him and help him emotionally.” People were supported to stay active at home and in the community. Staff supported people to take part in activities they knew matched the person’s individual preferences and interests.

People were encouraged to make choices and to do things for themselves as far as possible. In order to achieve this, a balance was struck between keeping people safe and supporting them to take risks and develop their independence. One relative said “staff have worked hard to help [name] reach their potential.”

Staff felt well supported and had the training they needed to provide personalised support to each person. Staff met with their line manager to discuss their development needs and action was taken when concerns were raised. Learning took place following any incidents to prevent them happening again. Staff understood what they needed to do if they had concerns about the way a person was being treated. Staff were prepared to challenge and address poor care to keep people safe and happy.