Archived: School Road

In this report the name of Wendy Joanne Lacey appears as one of the registered managers and Nikki Cole as the nominated individual. At the time of the inspection both of these people had recently left the provider's employment and were not in any way managing the regulatory activities at this location. Their names appear on the report because although they had applied for cancellation they were still registered on the CQC register at the time of inspection.

Following the inspection we considered all of the evidence we had gathered under the outcomes we inspected. We used the information to answer the five questions we always ask:

' Is the service safe?

' Is the service effective?

' Is the service caring?

' Is the service responsive?

' Is the service well led?

This is a summary of what we found-

Is the service safe?

People told us they felt safe and staff we spoke with understood their role in safeguarding people they supported.

There was a system in place to ensure that the manager and staff learnt from events such as accidents, incidents and complaints. This decreases the risk of harm to people and ensures lessons are learnt from mistakes.

The service had safe systems in place for the storing and administering of medicines and staff received appropriate training in this area.

We looked at the recruitment of new staff. We found that pre-employment checks were undertaken before staff began work and there were effective recruitment and selection processes in place. Staff had also received appropriate induction training.

Is the service effective?

People told us they were happy with the care being delivered and that their needs were being met. It was clear from our observations and from speaking with staff that they had a good understanding of people's care and support needs and that they knew them very well.

People's health and care needs had been assessed and care plans were in place. People were involved in the assessments of their needs and planning their care. We saw that care plans were reviewed each time that the person used the service.

The provider had effective quality assurance systems in place to monitor the performance of the home. People using the service, their relatives, friends, staff and other professionals were asked to provide feedback following events and on admission and discharge from the service. The views of people using the service and their representatives were taken into consideration.

Is the service caring?

We spoke with three people who use the service; they appeared happy and relaxed. We saw that people were engaged in activities which they enjoyed or had requested and community engagement was reflected in their care plans. We spoke with four members of staff and examined records, minutes of meetings and survey results. We saw that staff were familiar with people's needs and gave them opportunities to make choices.

The care plans we saw provided details of people's individual wishes and preferences. The service sought advice from external healthcare professionals where necessary and this was recorded in people's care files

Is the service responsive?

People's needs were assessed prior to them using the service. We saw evidence that demonstrated that people were able to discuss what was important to them with staff. Records also showed that discharge from the service was well planned with the person supported through the process.

Is the service well led?

Staff had a good understanding of the ethos of the service and the quality assurance processes in place. People told us they were listened to and as a result they received the choices of care and activities which they preferred. Staff told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. The staff told us that the management listened to them when they made suggestions to improve the service and that they could raise concerns without feeling intimidated. The staff were also confident that if they witnessed any poor practice that they could report their concerns.

The service's quality assurance systems ensured that any shortfalls identified were addressed and that staff were also asked for their views in relation to the service provided. This ensured that the knowledge and experience of staff was properly taken into account.

We saw that people were given a 'Welcome to School Road Respite unit' booklet. This contained

information in easy read format about the service and what people should expect to

receive.

People told us that their choices were respected and that they were involved in the planning of their care and support.

We saw care records for people that were reviewed monthly and staff checked these

were up to date every time the person stayed at the home.

All the people and staff we spoke with told us that the staffing levels at the home were good. We saw that staffing levels were adjusted to meet the needs of the people staying at the home.

The home gathered feedback form people who used the service and their parents/carers and used this feedback to develop the service.

The home had an effective system in place to monitor compliments and complaints. People staying at the home were given information about making complaints in a format that they could understand.