Jacob's Lodge

Updated 1 May 2020

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Jacob’s Lodge is a short break service for adults who have learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders, and physical disabilities. There were five people using the service when we visited. Care is provided for approximately 42 people each year. 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 unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the deputy manager, residential support officers, the administrator and the area manager. We also spoke briefly with the registered manager, as although they were not working the day of the inspection, they came into Jacob’s Lodge to introduce themselves to the inspector.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We reviewed a range of records. This included one person’s care records, three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with the registered manager via telephone.

Updated 1 May 2020

About the service

Jacob’s Lodge is a short break service for adults who have learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders and physical disabilities. There were five people using the service when we visited. Care is provided for approximately 42 people each year.

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

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.

People told us they felt safe when they stayed at the respite centre. There were appropriate policies and systems in place to protect people from abuse. Regular health and safety checks took place and risk assessments were in place to protect people and there were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. People received their medicines safely in line with their preferences and by staff who knew them well and people told us they liked the food and had enough to eat and drink. We saw people being offered drinks and food and were given choices.

There were sufficient staffing levels to support people and the provider had safe recruitment processes in place. All staff received a range of face to face training, e-learning and observed supervisions and competencies to ensure they had the necessary knowledge and skills to do their jobs. There were robust systems in place to manage incidents and implement actions to prevent a reoccurrence.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People's needs had been assessed before they were offered a place at the service and they had implemented a comprehensive holistic pre-assessment pack for people.

Interactions between people and staff were kind, caring, positive and warm. We observed how staff were inclusive and ensured people were supported to be involved in conversations. We saw people being supported using their preferred communication methods and staff demonstrated an awareness and understanding of people's needs. People were supported to be involved in making decisions about their care. Staff respected people's privacy, listened to people and respected their choices.

People had personalised support plans in place which covered all aspects of people’s daily living, care and support needs. We observed people being supported with personalised activities by staff using warm and kind approaches. We saw evidence of how responsive Jacob’s Lodge was in supporting people for emergency respite stays. Jacob’s Lodge understood different people use alternative ways to communicate and had made their service accessible and inclusive. The provider had a complaints procedure in place and the registered manager was keen to rectify any issues and improve the quality of the service.

The feedback we received from people and relatives was positive, expressing confidence in the management and care delivery of the service. The providers visions and values focused on person-centeredness, being passionate about making a difference to people's lives and ensuring positive outcomes for people and the registered manager promoted an inclusive, value based and positive culture. The management team sought, and listened to, people's, their relatives and staff member’s views, ideas and suggestions. There was an emphasis on shared learning and development within the service.

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 7 September 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.