188 Whitley Wood Lane Respite Care

This inspection took place on 7 and 10 November 2017 and was announced. We gave the registered manager 48 hours' notice of our inspection as this is a small service and we needed to be sure staff would be available.

At the last inspection in November 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good and had continued to meet all the fundamental standards of quality and safety.

Why the service remained Good: The staff team were caring and respectful and provided support in the way people preferred. People's rights to confidentiality, dignity and privacy were respected. People were enabled and encouraged to develop and maintain their independence wherever possible.

People received care and support that was personalised to meet their individual needs. People were able to continue their usual daily activities during their stay at the service. The service also provided access to the local community to enhance social activities. This meant people were able to access activities that took into account their individual interests and links with different communities.

Staff had a good understanding of how to keep people safe and protect them from abuse. Personal and environmental risks to the safety of people, staff and visitors had been assessed and actions had been mostly taken to minimise those risks. We found some issues identified on a legionella risk assessment from May 2017 had not been actioned. The registered manager arranged for the outstanding work to be carried out by the end of November 2017.

Recruitment processes were in place to make sure, as far as possible, that people were protected from staff being employed who were not suitable. There were sufficient numbers of staff and medicines were stored and handled correctly.

People benefitted from a staff team that was well trained and supervised. We have made a recommendation that future ongoing staff training be updated in line with the latest best practice guidelines for social care staff.

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 supported this practice. People were supported to eat and drink enough and their health and social care needs were met.

People were relaxed and there was an open and inclusive atmosphere at the service. Staff were happy in their jobs and there was a good team spirit. Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the quality of care being delivered and the running of the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings in the full report.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found