Grindon Short Break Service

Updated 14 November 2020

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.

This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place. As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention (IPC) measures in care homes.

This inspection took place on 2 November 2020 and was announced. The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

Updated 14 November 2020

At our last inspection we rated the service overall as 'good'. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

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At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Grindon Short Break Service is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Grindon Short Break Service is a residential respite service for up to ten people with a range of different needs.

Some people using the service had a learning disability. The care 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 as ordinary a life as any citizen.

The service had 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. People, relatives and staff described the registered manager as supportive and approachable. They told us since the registered manager had started there had been significant improvements made to the service.

People, relatives and staff described the excellent care the staff provided. They used words such as “first class”, “brilliant” and “wonderful” to describe the service. They described staff as “kindness itself” and praised staff for the care they provided to family members. We heard about numerous occasions when staff went ‘above and beyond’ often at short notice to help people in crisis. People told us about how staff had supported them through these times and helped them to move forward with their lives. Staff were particularly skilled at empowering people to communicate and express their needs. This had developed over the years due to a stable and consistent team of dedicated staff.

People, relatives and staff said the service was a safe place.

There were enough staff on duty to provide care that reflected people’s needs.

The provider had effective recruitment systems to ensure new staff were suitable to work at the service.

Staff had a very good understanding of safeguarding and whistle blowing. They knew how to report concerns but said they had no concerns about people’s safety. Previous safeguarding concerns had been dealt with and investigated effectively.

People received their medicines when they were due.

The provider responded to accidents and incidents effectively. There were procedures to deal with unforeseen emergencies.

Staff told us they were well supported and received training relevant to their role. This included specialist training where people had particular health and care needs.

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.

Staff supported people to meet their nutritional and healthcare needs in line with their particular needs. Staff had completed additional training to enable them to care for people with specialist eating and drinking requirements. Health professionals had been consulted to provide specialist advice and guidance when required.

People's needs had been assessed to determine what care and support they needed. People’s care plans were personalised to their individual requirements. They clearly described how they wanted to be cared for so their needs and preferences were met. Care plans were reviewed regularly to keep them up to date.

Relatives only gave us extremely positive feedback about the service. They said they could speak with the registered manager or any staff member at any time. The registered manager was described as approachable and supportive.

The provider had an agreed approach for dealing with complaints. There had been no complaints received about the service since our last inspection.

The provider continued to operate a structured approach to quality assurance and this remained effective in driving improvements within the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.