The Cottage Specialist Residential Service

The Cottage Specialist Residential Service is a residential care home that was providing accommodation and personal care to four people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up four people with a learning disability, autism and/or complex conditions including mental health problems.

The service was provided in a house, located on a residential street with individual bedrooms on the first floor and communal living areas on the ground floor. The service had been developed 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. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

The service adjoined other specialist services for people with learning disabilities, autism and other complex conditions under the same provider. The management team had responsibilities for more than one service.

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

People told us they felt safe at the service. Staff protected people from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks associated with people's health and safety were assessed and were well managed. Staff understood the risks and knew how to care for people safely. People received their medicines as prescribed. Processes were in place for the prevention and control of infection.

People had confidence in the ability of staff to deliver their care effectively. New staff completed a planned induction when they started work at the service and training records indicated staff received regular training required for their roles. Staff were encouraged to develop their knowledge and skills. Staffing levels were planned to meet people’s needs and care was provided by experienced staff who had a good knowledge of the people they cared for.

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. Staff promoted people's independence and decision making whilst they were using the service. People were provided with a nutritious and balanced diet.

Care was personalised according to people's assessed needs and preferences. Good teamwork and information sharing ensured staff took a consistent approach to people’s care. People had access to health professionals when needed and the staff team worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to ensure people received the support they needed to remain well. When complaints were made, they were investigated and managed in line with the provider's complaints policy.

The culture in the service was open, positive and honest with transparent management and leadership. Areas of responsibility and accountability were identified and the quality of the service was frequently reviewed. Audits were carried out and records kept up to date. Staff and people using the service felt involved and engaged.

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 25 October 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.

The Cottage Specialist Residential Service is registered to provide accommodation and care for four younger adults who have a learning disability. At the time of our inspection visit there were three people living in the service.

The service was run by a company. 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. In this report when we speak about both the company who ran the service and the registered manager we refer to them as being, ‘the registered persons’.

At the last inspection on 8 October 2015 the service was rated, ‘Good’.

At this inspection we found the service remained, ‘Good’.

Care staff knew how to keep people safe from the risk of abuse including financial mistreatment. People had been supported to take reasonable risks while also being helped to avoid preventable accidents. Medicines were safely managed and there were enough care staff on duty. Background checks had been completed before new care staff had been appointed to ensure that they were suitable people to be employed in the service.

Care staff had been given training and they knew how to care for people in the right way. People were supported to make their own meals and they were helped to eat and drink enough. In addition, care staff had ensured that people received all of the healthcare assistance they needed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were treated with compassion and respect. Care staff recognised people’s right to privacy and promoted their dignity. People had been supported to access independent lay advocates and confidential information was kept private.

Care staff had involved people and their relatives in making decisions about the care that was provided. People had been supported to be as independent as possible. In addition, they had been helped to pursue a wide range of hobbies and interests. There were arrangements for quickly and fairly resolving complaints.

People had been consulted about the development of their home and quality checks had been completed. Good team working was promoted and care staff had been enabled to speak out if they had any concerns.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.