Fenney Lodge

Updated 22 August 2019

The inspection:

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.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type:

Fenny Lodge is a care home for people with learning disabilities, it can accommodate up to eight people in one house. Accommodation is provided on two floors, a lift is available to access the first floor. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission 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 unannounced and took place on 23 July 2019.

What we did before the inspection:

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We also sought feedback from the local authority. 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:

During this inspection we spoke with two people and one relative.

As part of this inspection, we spent time with people who used the service and used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people that could not talk with us.

We spoke with the registered manager and four members of the staff team.

We reviewed three people's care records and other documents relating to the management of the service such as policies, audits, meeting minutes and safeguarding records.

Details are in the Key Questions below.

Updated 22 August 2019

About the service:

Fenny Lodge is a care home for people with learning disabilities, it can accommodate up to eight people in one house. Accommodation is provided on two floors, a lift is available to access the first floor. The service is situated in Catcliffe, close to Rotherham.

The service operated in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People's experience of using this service:

Management processes were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service. However, these were not always effective and did not always identify opportunities for improvement.

People were protected from abuse by staff who understood how to identify and report any abuse concerns. The risks to people's health, safety and welfare had been assessed, recorded and plans put in place to reduce these. Staffing levels enabled people's needs to be met safely, and ensured people received consistent and reliable care. The provider and management team sought to learn from any accidents or incidents involving people. Steps had been taken to protect people from the risk of infections.

People's individual needs and requirements were assessed with them before they started to use the service. Staff received an effective induction, followed by ongoing training and management support to enable them to work effectively. People had enough to eat and drink, and any risks associated with their eating or drinking were assessed and managed. Staff and management worked effectively with community health and social care professionals to ensure people's health needs were met and to achieve positive outcomes for them. People were supported to have maximum 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.

Staff adopted a friendly, caring and professional approach in their work and this gave people confidence to express their views about the care provided. People were treated with dignity and respect at all times and staff promoted their independence. Staff and management understood the need to promote equality and diversity and consider people's protected characteristics.

People and their relatives' involvement in decision-making about the care provided was encouraged by staff and management, and their views were listened to. People's care plans supported a person-centred approach and were followed by staff. People had support to pursue hobbies, access the local community and participate in recreational activities. People and their relatives understood how to raise any concerns or complaints about the service. People's wishes and choices about their end of life care were explored with them, where appropriate.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

Rating at last inspection:

The last rating for this service was Good (report published 20 February 2017).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

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