Jenny's House

Updated 11 February 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Jenny’s House is a care home which is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to eight people with learning disabilities. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced and took place on 15 and 16 November 2019. We announced this inspection as the service only currently provides respite care for two to four people as and when required at weekends predominantly, and we wanted to make sure there were people and staff at the service.

What we did before inspection

Before the inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must let us know about, such as abuse; and we sought feedback from the local authority and other professionals involved with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We met with all four people using the service that weekend, two staff, the registered manager and the provider and one visiting relative. We observed the support provided throughout the service and how the staff interacted with people. We spent time observing the support and care provided to help us understand their experiences of living in the service. We observed care and support in the communal areas, and we looked around the service. Some people were able to talk with us about the service they received but others could not. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We also reviewed the records at the service. These included three staff files which contained staff recruitment, training and supervision records. Also, medicine records, complaints, accidents and incidents, quality audits and policies and procedures along with information in regard to the upkeep of the premises and monitoring quality.

We looked at three people's care documentation along with other relevant records to support our findings. We also 'pathway tracked' people living at the service. This is when we looked at their care documentation in depth and obtained information about their care and treatment at the service. It is an important part of our inspection, as it allowed us to capture information about a sample of people receiving care.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, health and safety records including legionella certification and quality assurance records. We received feedback from a healthcare professional via telephone.

Updated 11 February 2020

About the service:

Jennys House provides accommodation and personal care for people who have a learning disability. Respite care is provided for people who have a learning disability and/or autistic spectrum disorder. The periods of respite care may be for a few days or longer depending on the individual's needs. This is usually at weekends.

Jennys House is an adapted detached residential property which can accommodate up to eight people. The service is situated in a residential area of Clacton on Sea and is close to amenities and main bus routes. The premises are set out on three floors with each person using the service having their own individual bedroom each time they stay, and adequate communal facilities are available for people to make use of within the service. At the time of our inspection four people were using the service.

The service applied 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.

At our last inspection of this service on 14 September 2018 the service was rated Requires Improvement. The areas of Effective, Responsive and Well Led were rated as requires improvement and we identified one breach of regulation in relation to governance. Systems for quality oversight were not fully established to show sustainability. We additionally made recommendations for the registered provider to address staff supervision, personalised care planning and training.

At this inspection, we found the evidence did not continue to support the rating of Requires Improvement and sufficient improvements had been made and the overall rating for the service had now improved to Good.

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

The service was well managed and led internally by the registered manager, to help ensure person centred, safe and effective care. Staffing, risk management and medicines arrangements for people's care and related management checks, helped to ensure people's safety at the service. People were protected from the risk of harm or abuse. The provider was a visible presence in the service and took action when things went wrong at the service and referred to relevant authorities involved with people's care when required to do so.

People's care, environment and related equipment needs were met. Staff supported people to maintain or improve their health and nutrition as agreed with them and any external health professionals involved in their care. People were supported to have maximum control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The provider's related policies and systems supported this practice.

Staff were effectively trained and supported to provide people's care. Relevant information sharing for people's care was standardised; to help ensure they received timely, consistent care as agreed with them, including when they needed to move between services.

People received care from kind, caring staff who ensured their dignity, equality and rights in their care. Staff knew people well; how to communicate with them and understood what was important to people. People were informed, involved as able, and supported to understand, agree and make ongoing decisions about their care.

People received timely, personalised care that was tailored to their individual needs and wishes. This was provided in a way which helped to optimise people's independence, inclusion and engagement in home life; with their friends and family and local community as they chose.

People and their relatives were informed and confident to make a complaint or raise any concerns about the service, if they needed to. People's views and feedback were regularly sought. Findings from complaints and feedback were used to help inform and ensure any service improvements needed.

Management and staff understood their role and responsibilities for people's care. There were effective arrangements for communication, record keeping and information handling at the service, along with relevant engagement and partnership working for people's care and safety.

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 Requires Improvement (published 29 October 2018) and there was a breach of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations. The service is therefore rated good at this inspection.

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.