We visited Coombes House on 25 September 2012. There were 15 people living in the home at the time of this visit. The service provides respite care for up to four people. No one knew we would be visiting. We spoke with four people living there, three members of staff and the manager. Coombes House has 18 bedrooms, 15 with their own en-suite shower room. It is a large building with a separate day service provided in part of it.
There was a warm, welcoming atmosphere within the home. People we spoke with were generally positive about living there. They enjoyed telling us about activities within the home and trips to the theatre, disco and bowling. One person told us, "It is like one happy family. I like living here."
We saw comfortable and relaxed interactions between the people living at Coombes House and staff. There were enough staff to support the needs of the people living there. One person told us, "The staff are very attentive. Very reliable."
People had care plans that provided staff with information as to how people liked and needed to be offered support. Some changes in care needs and associated risks had not clearly been identified and recorded in care plans. We saw people were referred to external health professionals where necessary.
People were encouraged to provide input into how the service was run through weekly residents' meetings.
People were being supported to make decisions about their future care.