Eco Nights

Updated 6 September 2022

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.

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 was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

Eco Nights is a residential respite care service providing accommodation and personal care. People in care homes 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 48 hours’ notice of the inspection because most people using the service attended the provider’s day care service and we needed to be sure that the provider [who is also the registered manager] or their representative would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 6 July 2022 and ended on 27 July 2022. We visited the respite service on 6 July 2022 and completed additional ‘out of hours’ visits on 11 July 2022 and 20 July 2022, so that we could speak with people using the service and staff. We spoke with people’s relatives on 27 July 2022.

What we did before 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.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and six people’s relatives about their experience of the care provided. Not all people who used the service were able to verbally communicate with us as they used different ways of communicating, including using Makaton, objects of reference and their body language. We spoke with three members of staff including the provider’s representative who managed the service on a day to day basis.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and three people’s medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment, induction and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including staff training data and quality assurance records were viewed.

Updated 6 September 2022

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Eco Nights is a respite service providing accommodation and personal care for up six younger people who have a learning disability and/or living with autism. On our first ‘out of hours’ visit the service was supporting two people and at the time of our second ‘out of hours’ visit the service was supporting seven people. One person was undertaking a teatime visit and not staying the night.

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

Right Support

• The service recorded when staff restrained people. However, improvements were required to demonstrate staff’s interventions prior to restraint being used and lessons learned to show how staff learned from those incidents and how they might be avoided and reduced.

• The service is a large bungalow which enables people who use the respite service to access the community. The premises is situated within the local community and did not feel unfriendly, intimidating or institutionalised.

• People were able to use communal areas as they wished and to have privacy for themselves if they chose to be alone.

• Each bedroom at Eco Nights was decorated to a specific theme. The provider’s representative stated people had been involved in choosing the theme.

• Staff enabled people to access healthcare provision and services as needed in consultation with their relatives.

• Staff supported people with their medicines.

Right Care

• Staff understood how to protect people from harm and abuse. Where internal investigations were completed, improvements were required to ensure these were robust.

• People received appropriate care that was kind, and which met their needs. However, we were concerned that an agency member of staff used at Eco Nights, did not know the names of two people they supported or the gender of one person. Profiles for people using the service were evident but not for all people being supported on our second ‘out of hours’ visit to Eco Nights. The agency member of staff confirmed they had not read the profiles.

• People’s care and support plans reflected their range of needs. Risks to people were assessed and recorded. Where appropriate, people were supported to take positive risks.

• People who had individual ways of communicating, using body language, sounds, objects of reference and Makaton, could interact with staff.

• The service had enough staff to meet people's needs. Steps were being taken to recruit permanent members of staff so as to reduce reliance on staff from the provider’s ‘sister’ services and staff from external agencies.

Right culture

• The service's quality assurance, monitoring and oversight arrangements required improvement.

• Staff were not aware of the ethos and values of the provider or the principles of 'Right support, Right Care and Right Culture'.

• Despite not all staff having up to date training, people received appropriate care. The provider and their representative told us staff had not received updated training due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have made recommendations about safeguarding investigations and the security of COSHH items.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good [published October 2019].

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

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.

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.