We carried out a review of the data available to us about Carlton Drive Short Breaks Service on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Carlton Drive Short Breaks Service, you can give feedback on this service.
Carlton Drive Short Breaks service is a residential care home providing personal care to people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder, physical disability, sensory Impairment and to younger Adults. Carlton Drive Short Breaks service accommodates seven people at any one time in one adapted building. At the time of our inspection 57 people accessed the service for short breaks.
There was a day service attached to Carlton Drive Short Breaks service, staff worked across both services. People staying for a short break could access the day service during the day should they wish. Since the last inspection the service had increased the number of people it could support from six to seven.
The service has been developed and designed 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 and what we found
People received care from staff that were kind, caring and compassionate. Staff enjoyed their work and treated people as if they were a family member. A relative said, “The staff are just amazing. They really do go above the call of duty and really do care.” People and staff had built positive relationships together and enjoyed spending time together. Staff were respectful and open to people of all faiths and beliefs. People’s privacy and dignity was respected.
People were supported by staff that took time to find out about their hobbies and interests and supported them to engage in these. Activities were available for people to choose from and people could access the day service during the week should they wish. Relatives knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint and felt confident concerns would be addressed.
People were supported by staff that kept them safe from harm or abuse. Without exception all relatives told us, they felt assured safe care would be provided by staff they knew and trusted. People received medicines on time and were supported by staff that had been safely recruited. Staff had a good knowledge of risks associated with providing people’s care and had received adequate training to meet people’s individual care needs.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive ways possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People’s needs were assessed before receiving care from Carlton Short Breaks Service to inform the development of their care plans. Pre-stay calls were made to relatives to ensure care plans and risk assessments were updated before people’s stay. People were supported to eat and drink enough and received healthcare support as needed.
People knew the management team by name. The service sought feedback from relatives about their care experience to ensure any issues or concerns were promptly addressed. The registered manager had a good oversight of the service. Quality assurance systems and processes enabled them to identify areas for improvement. Without exception relatives and staff told us they would recommend the service.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
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.
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 26 April 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 re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Carlton Drive Short Breaks Service is a care home that provides short term accommodation and personal care and support for up to six adults with physical and learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection four people were using the service. The service supports 55 people at various times throughout the year. At the last inspection on 12 August 2014, the service was rated good. At this inspection, we found the service remained good.
People continued to receive safe care. Staff knew their responsibilities to help protect people from harm and abuse. Risks associated with people’s care and support was assessed to help them to remain safe. The registered manager was making improvements to make sure that action taken in relation to bruising found on a person when they arrived at the service was recorded. The provider had safely recruited a suitable number of staff to meet people’s requirements. People received their medicines safely by staff who had received guidance and training to make sure they remained competent.
People continued to receive effective care from staff. Staff received training, guidance and support to make sure that they had the required skills and knowledge. People were satisfied with the food and drink available to them and they were supported to maintain their health.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service provided guidance in this practice.
People were supported by staff who were compassionate and kind and knew people well. Their dignity and privacy was maintained by staff who communicated in ways that were important to people. People were supported to maintain their skills and were involved in decisions about their support where they could.
People received care and support in a consistent way that was based on their preferences and interests. Their support plans were focused on them as individuals so that staff had guidance about their preferences. The registered manager was taking action to review some people’s support plans where this was necessary.
People and their relatives knew how to make a complaint and the provider took suitable action when one was received.
The service had an open and positive culture. People, their relatives and staff had opportunities to give suggestions about how the service could improve. The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities. This included them carrying out quality checks of the service to drive improvement.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.
This inspection was announced, this meant the managers and staff did not know we were coming. We last inspected this service in July 2013 and found they were compliant with all the areas we inspected.
The service provides short term accommodation and personal care for up to six adults with physical and learning disabilities in order to give their carers a break from their caring responsibilities. People may use the service for a day or up to a week.
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 and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.
People and their relatives told us the staff were kind and treated them with respect. People were consulted about their preferences and staff knew people well.
People’s risks were assessed and there were systems and processes in place to protect people from harm.
Staff were aware of and following the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 which was introduced to ensure people who lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves, are protected.
The manager ensured there were sufficient staff to support people safely and meet their needs.
The provider listened to people’s views and there was a complaints process in place and we saw people were happy to raise concerns directly with staff.
The manager had introduced effective systems to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.
Relatives of people who used the service had been involved in planning people's stay at the service. Staff were fully informed of people' needs and preferences. That meant that staff had helped people achieve the expectations they had of their stay at the service.