What life is like for people using this service:

The service had a small team of staff who were skilled and competent in meeting people’s individual needs. Staff and the registered manager showed a genuine motivation and passion to deliver personalised care based on people's preferences and likes.

Support was planned and delivered in a structured way to ensure people's safety and welfare and to meet their emotional needs. Staff had access to up to date information about how to support people effectively.

People were encouraged to develop daily living skills and to be as independent as possible. They had the option to participate in a range of activities which met their individual choices and preferences. This enabled people to achieve positive outcomes and promoted a good quality of life.

The registered manager had been in post for many years and knew the people receiving the service and their staff team very well, however improvements were required to ensure that information regarding recruitment was recorded.

More information is in the detailed findings below.

Rating at last inspection:

Good (report published 7 June 2016)

About the service:

Penny Meadow is a respite service which provides short-term overnight accommodation and personal care for up to two people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. It operates between the hours of 4pm and 10am the following day. The service had been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live lie as any citizen ‘Registering the Right Support’ CQC policy.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The overall rating is Good.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.

The inspection took place on 29 March and was unannounced. It was outside of our usual hours as Penny Meadow is a respite service operating from approximately 16.00 hours to 10.00 the following day. The provider had recognised the requirement for an overnight respite service to meet people’s needs at that time and to support families. We visited out of hours so that we could meet people who used the service. The service provides overnight accommodation and personal care for up to two people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder at a time. On the day of our inspection two people were using the service, who were not able to fully communicate with us. The service arranged and we are grateful to a person who does use the service came to speak with us about their experiences. They showed us around the building and garden and explained to us, that when they used the service they enjoyed feeding the many animals that live in the garden.

The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

The service held weekly fire safety checks and had systems in place for routine maintenance and unexpected premise emergencies. Accidents and incidents were recorded and analysed for any lessons to be learnt. People were protected from the risk of abuse as staff had attended training to ensure they had good understanding of their roles and responsibilities, if they suspected abuse was happening.

People's care records showed that support was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. The service worked with the person closely to ensure that they had their consent to support and help them. The records were reviewed for each respite occasion and updated as required. This meant that staff provided information that was up to date about how people's needs were met.

People were supported by a sufficient number of suitably skilled staff. The provider had ensured appropriate recruitment checks were carried out on staff before they started work. Staff had been recruited safely and had the skills and knowledge to provide care and support in ways that people preferred.

The service had systems in place to manage medicines and people were supported to take their prescribed medicines safely. Allergies had been recorded and the medication policy instructed people what to do in an emergency.

Staff knew people well and were trained, skilled and competent in meeting people’s needs. Staff were supported and supervised in their roles. People, where able, were involved in the planning and reviewing of their care and support. Families were also involved in the planning to meet people’s needs.

Staff had been trained and had a good understanding of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The staff had paid particular attention with regard to best interest meetings for people using the service

Positive and caring relationships had been developed between people who used the service and staff. Staff responded to people’s needs in an understanding and calm manner. People were supported to make decisions and were treated with dignity and respect. People were given choices and their privacy and dignity was respected.

We saw that the staff interacted with people who used the service in a caring, respectful and professional manner. We saw staff offering people choices regarding meals and drinks. We also observed staff taking time to allow people to clearly communicate with them. The service carried out an inventory of people’s belongings when they came to the service to ensure that when they left the service their belongings were