Coopersway @ Devonshire

At the last inspection carried out on 14 March 2016 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

People who used this service had complex needs and were not able to tell us about their experiences. To assist us to gain an overview of the service we spoke with family members of 12 people who used the service. We also observed the care and support provided for two people staying at the home. We saw staff communicated with both people by their preferred method and displayed a warm and caring attitude. Both people appeared comfortable in their surroundings and enjoyed interacting with the staff on duty.

We received positive feedback from family members who told us their relatives were well supported, safe and treated with dignity and respect when they stayed at the home. Comments received included, “This service has been a god send to me. [Relative] loves coming, the staff are just fantastic.” And, “I honestly cannot praise them high enough. I know [relative] is well looked after and I have no concerns about anything.”

The service had systems in place to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and take necessary action as required. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report unsafe care or abusive practices.

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. These had been kept under review and were relevant to the care provided.

We found sufficient staffing levels were in place to provide support people required. We saw the duty rota was on display in pictorial form in the hallway. This enabled people who used the service to identify which staff would be supporting them during their stay.

Staff had been recruited safely, appropriately trained and supported. They had skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and social needs.

Staff responsible for assisting people with their medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required.

We saw there was an emphasis on promoting dignity, respect and independence for people supported by the service. They told us they were treated as individuals and received person centred care.

We looked around the building and found it had been maintained, was clean and hygienic and a safe place for people to live. We found equipment had been serviced and maintained as required.

The design of the building and facilities provided were appropriate for the care and support provided. Specialised equipment including ceiling track hoists were in place. These enabled staff to safely move and transfer people with complex physical disabilities. Staff spoken with confirmed they had received training to enable them to use the hoists safely.

We found equipment used by staff to support people had been maintained and serviced to ensure they were safe for use.

The service had safe infection control procedures in place and staff had received infection control training. Staff wore protective clothing such as gloves and aprons when needed. This reduced the risk of cross infection.

People who used the service had a care and support plan created with their involvement or a family member. The care plan was person centred and documented all aspects of the persons needs including how they wanted their care and support to be provided, their wants, needs, likes and dislikes.

The relatives of people who stayed at home told us their family members enjoyed the meals and choices made available to them during their stay.

We found people had access to healthcare professionals during their stays and their healthcare needs had been met.

The relatives we spoke with told us staff were caring towards their family members. Staff we spoke with understood the importance of high standards of care to give people meaningful lives.

The service had information with regards to support from an external advocate should this be required by people they supported.

People who stayed at the home told us they enjoyed a variety of activities which were organised for their entertainment.

The service had a complaints procedure which was made available to people and their family when they commenced using the service. The people we spoke with told us they were happy with the service and had no complaints.

The service used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included regular audits and satisfaction surveys to seek the views of people who used stayed at the home and their relatives about the service provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

At the last inspection on 08 April 2014 the service was meeting the requirements of the regulations that were inspected at that time.

Coopers Way respite service is a purpose built home situated in a residential area and within reach of local amenities and shops. It is a detached two storey property, providing accommodation for five people who require nursing or personal care. The service provides respite care (short stay). The period of stay depends on the needs of the individual person and their relatives. At the time of our inspection visit there were 45 people who used the service for respite care. Two people were admitted to the service for their short stay break during the inspection.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

People who used this service had complex needs and were not able to tell us about their experiences. To assist us to gain an overview of the service we spoke with family members of eight people by telephone. We also observed the admission of two people into the home late afternoon. We saw staff communicated with the two people by their preferred method and displayed a warm and caring attitude. Both people appeared comfortable in their surroundings and quickly made themselves at home.

We received positive feedback from family members who told us their relatives were well supported, safe and treated with dignity and respect when they stayed at the home. One person said, “They provide a brilliant service, we couldn’t survive without them. I find the staff polite and accommodating.”

We found the registered manager had systems in place to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and take necessary action as required. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report unsafe care or abusive practices.

We found recruitment procedures were safe with appropriate checks undertaken before new staff members commenced their employment. Staff spoken with and records seen confirmed a structured induction training and development programme was in place.

Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and support needs.

People who used the service had a care and support plan created with their involvement or a family member. The care plan documented all aspects of the persons needs including how they wanted their care and support to be provided, their wants, needs, likes and dislikes. This enabled the service to provide a personalised approach to the care and support they provided. We found care plans were informative about the care people received. They had been kept under review and updated when necessary to reflect people’s changing needs.

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. These had been kept under review and were relevant to the care provided.

The registered manager understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions.

We found sufficient staffing levels were in place to provide the support people required. Staff spoken with said staffing levels enabled them to support people and meet their needs as identified in their care plan. We saw the duty rota was on display in pictorial form in the hallway. This enabled people who used the service to identify which staff would be supporting them during their stay.

The environment was maintained, clean and hygienic when we visited. No offensive odours were observed by the inspector. Hand sanitiser dispensers were prominently placed around the home for the use of staff involved in the delivery of personal care.

Specialised equipment including ceiling track hoists were in place. These enabled staff to safely lift and transfer people with complex physical disabilities. Staff spoken with confirmed they had received training to enable them to use the hoists safely.

We found equipment used by staff to support people had been maintained and serviced to ensure they were safe for use.

We observed staff assisting one person to choose what to eat for their evening meal. This was done by showing the person pictures of the choices available. The person appeared pleased with their choice of meal.

We found people had access to healthcare professionals during their stays and their healthcare needs were met. One family member we spoke with said, “They are very prompt at getting medical attention for [relative] if this is required. We are always updated straight away if there has been a problem.”

We found medication procedures in place at the home were safe. Staff responsible for the administration of medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required. Medicines were safely kept and appropriate arrangements for storing were in place.

During our inspection we looked at care, staff training records and staff supervision arrangements. We checked maintenance records, undertook a tour of the building and spoke to the family of the person staying at the home. We observed care practices throughout the inspection and spoke to the two staff on duty and the manager. We did this to confirm the person was having their care needs met. We also wanted to identify that staff were well trained and appropriate support arrangements were in place for them.

We found the home had recently re-opened following refurbishment work to the interior. The family of the person staying at the home told us they were very happy with the accommodation provided. They told us their relative often stayed at the home and they were very happy with the service provided. One relative said, 'We have always found the staff very caring. We have no concerns about her care. She really likes the staff and gets on well with all of them'.

We found dietary needs and preferences of people who stayed with them had been documented and staff were aware of these. The manager told us this was taken into consideration when purchasing food stocks for people coming to stay with them. The home didn't work to a set menu and people were able to choose what meals they wanted on a daily basis.

During our inspection we looked at care records, medication procedures and the homes duty rota. We did this to confirm people were well supported, their medicines were being handled safely and staffing levels were sufficient to meet her needs. We also spoke with the young person staying at the home, her parents, two staff members and the manager. The young person told us she was receiving safe and appropriate care which was meeting her needs. She told us the staff were polite, caring and she liked them. Comments received from the young person and her parents included:

'I have stayed here many times. The staff are great with me. They make me laugh and they are very kind'.

'Our daughter started using the respite service over two years ago. She really enjoys her stays and is very well looked after by the staff. We have no concerns about her care'.

During our inspection we contacted the Blackpool contracts monitoring team. They told us they had no concerns with the service being provided by the home.