Tawny Lodge

Tawny Lodge is a residential care respite service providing planned short breaks for people with learning and physical disabilities, sensory impairment and autism and people living with dementia. The service can accommodate up to four people at a time, and two people were staying there during our inspection.

The service has 22 people to whom it offers care and support on a regular basis.

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

People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that was appropriate and inclusive for them.

We received very positive views from families about the support provided to their relatives. They said they had total trust and confidence that staff looked after their relatives well. One person said they felt safe and their care workers were respectful.

The registered manager followed robust recruitment checks, and enough staff were employed to ensure people’s needs were met.

Staff followed good infection protection and control standards and the service was clean and smelt fresh.

People received their medicines safely and on time and their health was well managed.

Staff had received appropriate induction, training and support to enable them to carry out their roles.

Staff used verbal and non-verbal communication techniques to ensure people could make their own choices and decisions.

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.

The registered manager and team leaders worked with the staff team and led by example to ensure people received a good service. People and relatives told us the management team were approachable and listened to them when they had any concerns. All feedback was used to make continuous improvements to the service.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 22 August 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.

Tawny Lodge provides planned short breaks for people with learning and physical disabilities, sensory impairment and autism. The service can accommodate up to four people at a time.

At the time of our comprehensive inspection on 4 July 2017 the service was providing short breaks for a total of 23 people. When we visited, there was one person staying there.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Relatives told us they had peace of mind and felt their relatives were safe when they stayed at the service. Processes were in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff were able to tell us the action they should take if abuse was suspected.

Staff were aware of the provider’s whistleblowing policy. Whistleblowing is where people can disclose concerns they have about any part of the service where they feel dangerous, illegal or improper activity is happening.

Individual risk assessments and risk management plans were in place to protect people.

There were safe systems to manage the administration of medicines.

Regular checks of the building and maintenance systems were undertaken to ensure health and safety policy and procedures were adhered to.

There were enough staff to meet the needs of people who used the service. The number of staff required depended on the needs of the individuals who were staying at the service. When respite was being planned for individuals, their friendships and compatibility with others was considered.

The service had effective recruitment and selection processes in place. Checks were completed before staff could start work. This meant that staff had the skills and experience to work at the service.

We saw that staff had access to on-line and classroom training to support them in their roles. They had regular supervision and arrangements were in place for staff to receive regular appraisals.

People’s nutrition and hydration needs were met. We saw people had detailed support plans in place regarding this.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the provider’s policies and systems supported this practice. The staff supported people to be as independent as possible. They were encouraged to make their own drinks or snacks if they wished and had the skills to do this.

Staff were committed to offering a person centred ‘home from home’ environment which was designed and decorated in line with the needs of the people who used the service. It was spacious and had up to date equipment to support people’s needs. There was a calm and relaxed atmosphere.

Staff were able to describe the importance of respecting people’s dignity and privacy. For example, staff would knock on a door before entering and would ensure people had privacy when supporting with personal care tasks.

Staff would accommodate individuals and their relative’s needs. Staff reflected and shared ideas to enhance people’s experiences of their stay. Relatives were very complimentary about the service.

Support plans were detailed to ensure staff had enough information to meet people’s needs. Plans were reviewed and updated.

There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. The manager was clear about their role and responsibilities.

Staff meetings took place regularly and staff were able to contribute fully and express their opinions or ideas.

People who used the service and their relatives were encouraged to offer feedback and were aware of the complaints procedure. A newsletter was sent out in accessible formats. This showed that people and their relatives were kept up to date with information and any planned events.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We undertook this focused inspection to check that they had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for (Tawny Lodge) on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This focused inspection took place on 5 January 2017 and was announced.

Tawny Lodge provides planned short breaks for people with learning and physical disabilities, sensory impairment and autism. The service can accommodate up to four people at a time. When we visited there was one person staying at Tawny Lodge.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Effective management systems were in place to ensure that staff applied the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 when planning peoples support. People had complex care needs owing to their learning and physical disabilities. The protective measures that were in place to keep people safe were assessed and agreed in their best interests. This included assistive technology such as bed alarms, which had been set up to alert staff if the person needed support.

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard authorisations were in place for those people who were not free to leave, and were under constant supervision and continuous control. Staff were confident about their role and understood the importance of undertaking capacity assessments to determine whether people could agree to their care and treatment.

This meant that the previous breach of Regulation 11 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 had been met.