The Bungalow

Updated 8 February 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 22 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service two days’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 8 February 2022

About the service

The Bungalow is a service which provides respite care for younger adults living with a learning disability or autism. The service can support up to four people at one time. People have the use of their own rooms with en-suite shower facilities and share communal areas such as a kitchen, lounge and garden. At the time of our inspection four people were using the service. 21 people accessed and used the service at different times throughout the year.

The service had 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.

The service was in a rural location far away from local amenities with limited access to public transport. The service was clearly advertised as a care facility with identifying signs and industrial waste bins. However, this did not have a negative impact on people using the service as people had access to several vehicles which they could use to access the community.

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

People and relatives were positive about the support they received at the service. One relative told us, ‘‘[Person] is very happy at the bungalow. It has become part of [person’s] life and they really look forward to going.’’

People were supported by a kind and compassionate staff team who had got to know them as individuals with their own likes and preferences. Staff promoted people’s independence and decision making whilst they were using the service. Care was personalised according to people's support needs and preferences. Staff supported people to take part in a wide range of activities both in and out of the service, depending on people’s interests.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People were kept safe at the service and staff members had a good understanding of safeguarding people from abuse. There were enough suitably trained staff to support people safely and staff had been recruited safely. Staff supported people safely in all areas of their care including medicines, health and safety and infection control.

People were supported to eat a healthy and balanced diet, based around their preferences and were supported to live healthy lives in all areas of their care including oral health. The premises had been adapted to support people to be independent in daily living tasks. A complaints procedure was in place and people knew how to make a complaint if they needed to.

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.

The manager and deputy manager completed audits to monitor the quality of the service. The manager put improvements in place if these audits proved not to be effective. People, relatives and staff were supported to feedback about the service and the service linked and worked well with other organisations. The manager and deputy manager promoted a positive culture and were passionate about continuing to improve the experience for people using the service.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 02 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.