Wickett Hern Road is a care home situated in Armthorpe, Doncaster which is registered to accommodate up to nine people. The home is provided by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council and provides respite services for people with a learning disability. There are gardens to the rear of the property and on road parking at the front of the building. The service is close to local shops and there are good bus links into Doncaster town centre. The registered manager we spoke with told us that approximately 87 people were currently accessing the respite service. Some people used the service for overnight stays and some people stay at Wickett Hern Road for two weeks while family members have a holiday. Other emergency situations can also be catered for. At the time of the inspection three people were using the service for respite stays.

At the last inspection on the December 2014 the service was rated Good.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for ‘Wickett Hern Road’ on our website at www.cqc.org.uk’

At this announced inspection on the 3 April 2017 we found the service remained Good. The service met all relevant fundamental standards.

The service has a registered manager. 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.

We received positive feedback from people using the service. We carried out observations to see how they were being supported and cared for. We observed positive interactions between the staff and the people using the service. People told us they felt safe and the staff were respectful and observed their rights and choices. Feedback from relatives were also extremely positive.

There was sufficient staff with the right skills and competencies to meet the assessed needs of people living in the home. Those who received care in their home told us staff were prompt and met their assessed needs.

Robust recruitments procedures ensured the right staff were employed to meet people’s needs safely. Staff received training to administer medications safely.

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.

People were encouraged to make decisions about meals, and were supported to go shopping and be involved in menu planning. People’s dietary needs were catered for and we saw clear instructions were followed when a person had involvement from the speech and language therapist (SALT).

People retained their own GP while staying at the service, but if needed the service could also access emergency services.

People could take part in activities of their own choice and there were also organised group activities such as trips to the coast and meals at local pubs.

Relatives and staff were happy with the way in which the service was run. The service was appropriately managed. There were comprehensive systems for monitoring the quality of the service. The registered manager and staff team listened to and learnt from the feedback of others to make changes and improve the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

The inspection took place on 19 December 2014 and was announced, 48 hours’ notice of the inspection was given because the service is small and we needed to be sure that the registered manager was available and that people who used the service would be in. At the last inspection in December 2013 the service was judged compliant with the regulations inspected.

Wickett Hern Road is a care home situated in Armthorpe, Doncaster which is registered to accommodate up to nine people. The home is provided by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council and provides respite services for people with a learning disability.

The service has a registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. Since then there has been no incidents or concerns raised that needed investigation.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe while staying at the home. One person said, “I feel very safe here, staff have helped me a lot and now I feel I can live independently on my own.” Staff had a clear understanding of potential abuse which helped them recognise abuse and how they would deal with situations if they arouse.

There were enough skilled and experienced staff and there was a programme of training, supervision and appraisal to support staff to meet people’s needs. Procedures in relation to

recruitment and retention of staff were robust and ensured only suitable people were employed in the service.

Staff were aware of the Mental Capacity Act and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, however because the service was used by people to have respite stays at the home. At the time of this inspection the registered manager told us they had not found it necessary to use the safeguards. This legislation is used to protect people who might not be able to make informed decisions on their own.

People were encouraged to make decisions about meals during their stays and people were supported to go shopping and be involved in menu planning. We saw people were involved and consulted about all aspects of their care and support, where they were able, including suggestions for activities.

People had access to a wide range of activities that were provided both in-house and in the community. One person told us they were going to the theatre in the evening of our visit and they told us staff had arranged to pick them up after the show as it would be quite late to travel using public transport.

We observed good interactions between staff and people who used the service. People were happy to discuss the day’s events and they told us they were looking forward to their stay at Wickett Hern Road

People told us they were aware of the complaints procedure and said staff would assist them if they needed to use it.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. We saw copies of reports produced by the registered manager and the provider. The reports included any actions required and these were checked each month to determine progress.

People who used the service told us they were treated with dignity and their independence was respected. They told us that care workers asked them what help they required and involved them in their care.

People told us they were happy with the care they received. A relative of a person who used the service told us that care workers went “beyond the call of duty”. We reviewed care records which showed that risk assessments and formal reviews were undertaken to ensure care was effective and safe.

People who used the service told us they felt safe at the home. Care workers had undertaken training in safeguarding and were aware of their responsibility to report any abuse.

People told us they thought care workers were well trained and knew what they were doing. We spoke to care workers who told us they had regular training, supervision and appraisal. We also reviewed a training matrix which showed that staff had regular training in all appropriate areas.

People were asked for their opinion as to the quality of care in the home. We saw that regular meetings were held with people who used the service and staff. There were also systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service people received, and to manage any risks to people's health.

As part of our inspection we spoke with people who use the service. They spoke positively about the care and support they received. They told us they liked living in the home and confirmed they were well supported to make choices and decisions about their care. One of the people we spoke with told us: "I love it here; I have fun and have lots of friends."

People living in the home, confirmed they felt safe and said they liked the staff who looked after them. One person told us: "Staff are kind to me and everybody; they are all nice and caring and work very hard."

During the visit we spoke with a relative who expressed their satisfaction with the standards of care at the home. They told us the staff were very good and they were kept informed of any changes. Some of the comments we received included: "The service is excellent, it fulfils all my daughters' requirements, she loves coming here and the staff keep us informed of everything."

We spoke with the relative of a person who used the service. They told us that they, and the person who used the service, had been asked for their consent before the person was admitted to the service. We reviewed records which showed that where people had capacity to do so they consented to the care being offered. We also found that where people were found not to have the capacity to consent to their care the provider acted in accordance with legal requirements.

The relative of a person who used the service told us they were happy with the food and refreshments that were available. We saw evidence of people being given choices as to what they wished to eat. We found that a nutritious and balanced diet was made available.

The relative of a person who used the service told us they felt the home was clean. We found there were systems in place to manage and monitor the prevention and control of infection.

The relative of a person who used the service told us there were enough staff available to meet the needs of their relative. We also spoke with a care worker who told us there were enough staff on duty. A review of staffing records showed there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs.

The relative of a person who used the service told us they knew how to make a complaint and who to complain to. We found there was a complaints procedure in place and staff were aware of their responsibility to report verbal complaints so they could be formally investigated.