Short Term Breaks - 69 Neithrop Avenue

Updated 25 December 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

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 site visit was carried out by one inspector.

An Expert by Experience carried out phone calls to a sample of relatives and people using the service. 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

Short Term Breaks-69 Neithrop Avenue is a 'respite service’. People in care homes and respite services receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave the service two working days’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be available to support the inspection as they worked across different services.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from three professionals who work with the service and received feedback from one professional. We sent emails to five staff members for their views on the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We carried out observations and spoke with two people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with two staff members and the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and their medicine records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed.

After the inspection

The Expert by Experience spoke with five relatives and two people who use the service.

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We emailed one relative to gain their feedback about the service, but we did not on this occasion receive their response.

Updated 25 December 2021

About the service

Short Term Breaks-69 Neithrop Avenue is a respite service for people with learning and/or physical

disabilities. The respite service offers a range of support agreed via the local authority, which can include, emergency respite stays, tea visits and overnight stays. The service can support up to five people and 19 people were currently accessing the service, this included two people who were living in the service as an emergency placement.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

Based on our review of Safe and Well Led, the service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support:

• The service was a five bedroomed property. As this was a respite service, often five people did not always stay in the service, each day was different as staff tried to match people who stayed so that they would enjoy being together. The provider had made the service more homely and welcoming than at the previous inspection and the registered manager was keen to develop a sensory room where activities could also take place. People received personalised care and support specific to their needs and preferences. People were protected from the risks of harm, abuse or discrimination because staff knew what actions to take if they identified concerns. There were enough staff working to provide the support people needed. Staff understood the risks associated with the people they supported. Risk assessments provided guidance for staff about individual risks. People received their medicines safely, when they needed them.

Right care:

• Care was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. People’s individual needs and choices were recognised, and respected. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Right culture:

• The service had worked hard to keep people safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Good quality monitoring systems had been developed and morale was good amongst the staff team. We received positive feedback in relation to the care people received and how the service was run. One relative told us, “[Person using the service] is delighted to go to Neithrop and happy to come home. They [staff] would communicate to us if they weren't happy.” A second relative said, “There are no problems at all and [person using the service] is safe and happy.”

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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 requires improvement (published 14 November 2019) and there was one breach of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of the regulation.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

We carried out a comprehensive inspection of this service on the 10 November 2019, where one breach of a legal requirement was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve their quality assurance systems.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions safe and well-led.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.