Trafford Respite Service

Updated 5 December 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Trafford Respite Service is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Trafford Respite Service is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since being registered with the CQC. We sought feedback from the local authority. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people who used the service. Some people using the service had limited verbal communication. We observed interactions between people and the support staff throughout our inspection.

We spoke with 8 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, nominated individual, support workers and team leaders. We also spoke with 2 local authority professionals who worked with the service. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records, including 3 people’s care and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance, complaints and safeguarding were reviewed.

Updated 5 December 2023

About the service

Trafford Respite Service is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 7 people. The service provides a 12-week assessment service for people with a learning disability, mental health need and autistic people who are supported to transition into the local community. Some people may also have a physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were 4 people using the service.

People’s experience of the service and what we found:

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessment and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Support: Trafford Respite Service is located in a residential area, within easy reach of local amenities. There were enough staff to meet people’s care and support needs and support people to take part in activities of their choice. Staff were safely recruited and completed the training required to carry out their roles.

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. Staff knew how people communicated their needs and choices.

Right Care: People were supported to maintain their health and wellbeing. Staff did not always record when they had supported people with a modified diet. The registered manager said they would speak with staff in supervision meetings to ensure this was completed in future.

People received their medicines as prescribed. Not all 'as required' medicines had guidance for when staff should administer them. This was addressed by the registered manager during the inspection. The home was clean throughout and staff used personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriately.

People’s needs were assessed before they moved to the service. Due to the nature of the service, information was sometimes limited prior to people moving in. People’s needs and risks they may face were fully assessed as part of their 3-month stay. This assessment was made available to the provider who would be supporting the person when they moved on from the service.

Care records identified people’s preferences, support needs and potential risks. Guidance was provided to manage these risks. People received kind and compassionate care. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to people’s individual needs.

Right Culture: People were comfortable with the staff team supporting them. People’s cultural needs were being met. A monthly meeting with people had started to be held to gather their thoughts on their care and support. Local authority social workers said there was good communication with the home. Staff enjoyed working at the service and felt listened to by the management team. A quality assurance system was in place. Actions were completed where any issues had been identified.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 3 April 2023, and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Good (published on 1 May 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow Up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.