Archived: Treefields Resource Centre

Updated 26 March 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Treefields Resource Centre is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. 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. This included notifications sent to us by the home. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the provider is legally obliged to send to us without delay. 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 and one person’s relative, three staff members and the registered manager. We observed staff carrying out care tasks and supporting people.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five care records, five people's medication records, three staff personnel files and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, health and safety records, training records, meeting minutes and audits.

Updated 26 March 2020

About the service:

Treefields Resource Centre is a respite service providing short stay support to people with a learning disability. It can support up to six people at a time. The service is in Rotherham, in a quiet residential area.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they valued their time at Treefields. They described it being like a holiday, with one person who had just arrived for the weekend telling us they were “really happy” about being there. Staff supported people to tailor their stay to reflect their interests, and staff demonstrated a good understanding of people’s needs. People described how they often stayed at the service at the same time as friends, and records showed staff tried to ensure they coordinated stays between people who got on well, as well as arranging stays at different times for people who did not get on. Staff spoke to people with respect, and there was a genuine warmth in the interactions between staff and people using the service. A relative told us they were always welcomed and said they really valued the service.

People were supported in a safe environment by staff who were deployed in sufficient numbers to meet their needs. The environment was well managed, with appropriate safety checks and auditing taking place, including audits of infection control procedures and fire safety.

Care plans were detailed and reflected people’s needs. They were regularly reviewed to ensure any changes to people’s needs were incorporated, and people and their relatives, where appropriate, were encouraged to be involved in these reviews. We noted, however, that improvements should be made in relation to how the provider obtained people’s consent. Risks were assessed and monitored safely.

Medicines were safely managed, and audits ensured managers had a good oversight of this. We found, however, the provider did not have appropriate records in place for when people had their medication on an “as and when” basis. The registered manager told us work was ongoing in this area.

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. We did note, however, that work was required to better evidence how consent was obtained.

Staff were recruited safely, with appropriate background checks being made. Records showed staff received training in a wide range of relevant areas, and staff exhibited a good knowledge about how to support people using the service.

There was a registered manager who was relatively new in post. They oversaw management of the service using a range of audit tools, and were supported by a deputy manager and a team of senior support workers. We identified the provider had failed to make certain, legally required, notifications to CQC when suspected abuse had taken place. The registered manager told us they were not aware of this legal requirement.

Rating at last inspection:

The last rating for this service was good (published August 2017)

Why we inspected:

This was a planned comprehensive inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk