Short Break Service

Updated 30 December 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by an Inspector from the CQC.

Service and service type

Short Breaks Service is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection.

Notice of inspection

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

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

What we did during the inspection

We reviewed a variety of records related to the management, quality and safety of the service. This included risk assessments, policies, procedures and audits.

During the site visit element of the inspection, we were unable to speak with people who used the service. Therefore, we spoke with four relatives by telephone about their experiences of the care provided.

We also spoke with five members of staff including the head of service, matron and support workers.

Updated 30 December 2020

The short break service is a care home providing planned and unplanned respite care for up to three adults. The service specialises in providing support for people living with complex needs associated with autism and/or a learning disability. At the time of our inspection visit, two people were using the service.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the guidance the Care Quality Commission (CQC) follows to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. We saw the model of care and setting maximised people’s choice, control and independence. Care was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people who used the service lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

A more joined-up, cohesive and responsive approach to safety and risk management had been embedded into everyday practice.

Practices for the prevention and control of infection were operated effectively.

Medicines were managed safely. This included systems for receipt, storage, administration and disposal of medicines. Medicines systems were organised, and people received their medicines when they should.

Systems which sought to protect people from the risk of abuse were operated effectively. Relatives told us they were confident their loved ones were as safe as possible when using the service.

Environmental improvements had been made to better reflect national best practice guidance. Rooms were individualised to people who used the service on a visit by visit basis to ensure an appropriate environment. The communal garden had been transformed into a space that was safe, accessible and welcoming.

Improvements had been made, and sustained, to strengthen management oversight and quality assurance. Roles, responsibilities and staffing structures were better defined. A new registered manager was in post, along with a new deputy manager and a new service-wide Matron for learning disabilities.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service in May 2019. Breaches of legal requirements were found in respect of safe care and treatment and premises and equipment. Consequently, the service was rated requires improvement. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions of Safe, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Short Break Service on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.