The inspection took place on 29 March and was unannounced. It was outside of our usual hours as Penny Meadow is a respite service operating from approximately 16.00 hours to 10.00 the following day. The provider had recognised the requirement for an overnight respite service to meet people’s needs at that time and to support families. We visited out of hours so that we could meet people who used the service. The service provides overnight accommodation and personal care for up to two people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder at a time. On the day of our inspection two people were using the service, who were not able to fully communicate with us. The service arranged and we are grateful to a person who does use the service came to speak with us about their experiences. They showed us around the building and garden and explained to us, that when they used the service they enjoyed feeding the many animals that live in the garden. The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.
The service held weekly fire safety checks and had systems in place for routine maintenance and unexpected premise emergencies. Accidents and incidents were recorded and analysed for any lessons to be learnt. People were protected from the risk of abuse as staff had attended training to ensure they had good understanding of their roles and responsibilities, if they suspected abuse was happening.
People's care records showed that support was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. The service worked with the person closely to ensure that they had their consent to support and help them. The records were reviewed for each respite occasion and updated as required. This meant that staff provided information that was up to date about how people's needs were met.
People were supported by a sufficient number of suitably skilled staff. The provider had ensured appropriate recruitment checks were carried out on staff before they started work. Staff had been recruited safely and had the skills and knowledge to provide care and support in ways that people preferred.
The service had systems in place to manage medicines and people were supported to take their prescribed medicines safely. Allergies had been recorded and the medication policy instructed people what to do in an emergency.
Staff knew people well and were trained, skilled and competent in meeting people’s needs. Staff were supported and supervised in their roles. People, where able, were involved in the planning and reviewing of their care and support. Families were also involved in the planning to meet people’s needs.
Staff had been trained and had a good understanding of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The staff had paid particular attention with regard to best interest meetings for people using the service
Positive and caring relationships had been developed between people who used the service and staff. Staff responded to people’s needs in an understanding and calm manner. People were supported to make decisions and were treated with dignity and respect. People were given choices and their privacy and dignity was respected.
We saw that the staff interacted with people who used the service in a caring, respectful and professional manner. We saw staff offering people choices regarding meals and drinks. We also observed staff taking time to allow people to clearly communicate with them. The service carried out an inventory of people’s belongings when they came to the service to ensure that when they left the service their belongings were accounted for.
People who used the service were provided with the opportunity to participate in activities which interested them. We saw people enjoying the garden area, reading books, watching television and planning future events. People's choices were taken into account and listened to.
People were supported to report any concerns or complaints and they felt they would be taken seriously. People who used the service, or their representatives, were encouraged to be involved in decisions about the service. The provider had systems in place to check the quality of the service and take the views and concerns of people and their relatives into account to make improvements to the service.
The service worked with people to provide as best as possible respite throughout the year at convenient times for them and their relatives. The service carried out audits of the support provided for each respite occasion by asking the person and their family to complete a questionnaire. The service also undertook further audits to gauge the quality of the care. The manager lead by example and was on call to support staff and people using the service as well as carrying out regular unannounced spot checks on the service