Archived: Oxford Respite Service

Updated 24 May 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This unannounced inspection took place on 10 April 2017 and was carried out by one inspector.

Prior to the inspection visit we gathered information from a number of sources. We looked at the information received about the service from notifications sent to the Care Quality Commission by the registered manager. Notifications are information about important events the service is required to send us by law. We also spoke with the local authority, commissioners and safeguarding teams.

Some of the people who used the service had communication and language difficulties and because of this we were unable to fully obtain each of their views about their experiences. We relied mainly on observations of care and our discussions with people's relatives and staff to form our judgements. At the time of the inspection we spoke with one person who used the service and two relatives, as well as the registered manager and three care staff members. Following the inspection, we contacted a further two relatives of people who use the service.

We pathway tracked the care of four people. Pathway tracking is a process which enables us to look in detail at the care received by each person in the home. We saw four staff recruitment files and supervision records. We looked at all staff training records which covered the period of 2015-2017. We considered how information was gathered and quality assurance audits were used to drive improvements in the service. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service, such as health and safety files, risk assessments and business continuity plan.

Updated 24 May 2017

This unannounced inspection took place on 10 April 2017. The service was previously inspected in October 2014, and at the time was assessed as meeting all relevant regulations.

Oxford Respite Service provides accommodation, personal care and support for up to six people on a short term basis. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care and support to two people.

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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff knew what action to take if they were concerned that someone was being abused or mistreated. The provider's whistleblowing policy protected staff to make disclosures about poor staff conduct or practice, and staff confirmed the manager would take responsive action if they reported such problems. People had risk assessments in place to keep them safe whilst enabling them to be as independent as possible.

Staff had been recruited safely to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. There were sufficient numbers of suitable staff to meet people's needs and people received their medicines as prescribed.

The building was secure and safety checks were regularly undertaken to ensure people's safety.

Some people who used the service did not have capacity to make decisions about certain aspects of their care needs. Staff understood the systems in place to protect people who could not make decisions and followed the legal requirements outlined in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Staff told us they felt supported by the management and received supervision and appraisals, which helped to identify their training and development needs.

People had access to health and social care services. The provider worked closely with healthcare professionals to assess people's needs and plan their support.

During their stays people were involved in menu planning, shopping and meal preparation. We saw snacks were available throughout the day and people had access to drinks as they wanted them. People were supported to eat and drink and any special dietary considerations were catered for.

People's needs had been assessed before they went to stay at the home and we found people and their relatives had been involved in the planning of the care. The care files we checked reflected people's needs and preferences so staff had clear guidance on how to care for people.

People's privacy and dignity were protected by a caring staff team. There were positive relationships between people, their families and members of staff. People and their families were treated with kindness and compassion.

People received person-centred care, based on their individual strengths, interests and needs. People and their relatives said they had no complaints, but they would feel comfortable speaking to staff if they had any concerns. Although no concerns had been raised, the registered manager told us that all reported concerns would be investigated and resolved in a timely manner.

There were systems in place for monitoring the quality of the service which were effective. Where improvements were needed, these were addressed and followed up to ensure continuous improvement. The provider sought views of people using the service through feedback forms. They recognised the importance of regularly monitoring the quality of the service provided to people.

Staff, people and their relatives we spoke with told us the manager was approachable and the service was well-led.