Perry Cottage

Updated 5 September 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.

This was a targeted inspection to check certain areas of quality and safety had remained good since our last inspection.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Perry Cottage 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. Perry Cottage 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 11 July 2023. We visited the location’s service on 4 July 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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 contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the 2 people who lived at the service. We spoke with 2 staff including the registered manager. We also spoke with relatives and friends of the people living at the service. We have not detailed how many so as not to identify people. We reviewed a number of records including care plans, risk assessments, accident and incident reporting records and records relating to governance of the service. We sought feedback from a health professional who was involved in supporting the service.

Updated 5 September 2023

The inspection took place on 10 June 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider short notice of the inspection as the home is small and we wanted to be sure someone was in when we visited the home.

Perry Cottage provides accommodation with personal care for a maximum of four adults who have a learning disability diagnosis.

The home is located in the rural hamlet of Fluxton, which is near Ottery Saint Mary in Devon. The house is situated on a farm. One of the providers is also the registered manager and both providers work at the home. 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 home had previously been inspected in November 2013 and had met all the standards inspected.

At the time of our inspection, four people were living at Perry Cottage, all of whom had been resident at the home for a number of years. One person living in the home was a relative of the provider.

The home was normally staffed by the two providers, although they had employed a relative to run an activity session for one morning a week. There was sufficient staffing to meet people’s needs and promote their choices. The providers had a clear vision for the home and ensured they promoted independence and choice with all the people living there. There was strong evidence of very positive relationships between everyone in Perry Cottage with lots of laughter and banter going on through the inspection.

All four people living at Perry Cottage said they were happy and liked living in the home. The home had a very relaxed, homely feel. People moved freely around all parts of the home and had personalised their bedrooms to suit their own tastes. People and their relatives described the home as an extended family. Throughout the inspection it was obvious that not only did people know the providers, they also knew the provider’s family. People had been invited to the provider’s family celebrations including two weddings.

Each person had a detailed care record. Documents within the care records described the risks to people and how people were supported to minimise these risks. Both providers understood their responsibilities with respect to safeguarding vulnerable adults. Two people who had regular prescribed medicines administered the medicines themselves. The provider supported them to be as independent as possible with this, by checking that the administration had been carried out correctly.

Care records described appointments with health professionals and what the outcomes of these appointments were. There was evidence that the advice received was acted on.

The providers understood their responsibilities in relation to acting within the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People had been assessed in terms of their capacity to make certain decisions, but wherever possible the providers encouraged people to be independent. The provider said they planned to discuss with the local authorities whether it was necessary to apply for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards authorisations for any of the people at Perry Cottage.

People were provided with a balanced diet and received sufficient food and drink to ensure their nutritional needs were met. People said they liked the food and also enjoyed getting involved in meal preparation.

People did a number of varied activities including working on the farm, going to clubs and social events as well as being involved in music, art and cooking sessions in the home. People clearly enjoyed these activities and were enthusiastic about them when describing what they did.

Checks to ensure the safety and quality of the home, equipment and the services provided were undertaken regularly. Where an issue was identified, this was addressed in a timely manner.