At the time of our inspection one person was living at Aspire Respite Support Services and another was on respite. Respite is where a person uses the service on an as and when required basis. We observed the care those people received, spoke with a family member of one of the people who lived there, the registered provider and manager and two support workers, as well as reviewing relevant documentation.We considered all the evidence we had gathered under the outcomes we inspected. We used the information to answer the five questions we always ask: Is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led?
Below is a summary of what we found.
Is the service safe?
There were risk assessments in place where required for people using the service in relation to their support and care provision. People were not put at unnecessary risk, but had choice and remained in control of their own decisions. This meant that people's independence was promoted and they were not restricted from engaging in and accessing the wider community.
Safeguarding procedures were robust and staff understood how to safeguard the people they supported.
Systems were in place to make sure that managers and staff learned from events such as accidents and incidents, complaints, concerns, whistleblowing and investigations. This means risks to people are reviewed and monitored to minimise any further risks and helps the service to continually improve.
The home had policies and procedures in relation to the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, but no applications had needed to be submitted. This meant that people would be safeguarded as required.
Policies and procedures were in place to make sure that unsafe practice is identified and people are protected.
A family member explained they found it difficult to trust services, because of previous experiences, but at Aspire they have no reason to believe their relative wasn't safe. They explained their relative was happy to be left at the service, showed no signs of distress when they returned and didn't return home with unexplained bruising.
People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines.
Is the service effective?
People's health and care needs were assessed with them and they were involved in the formulation of their support plan. A family member said that their relative's support reflected their current needs.
Is the service caring?
People were supported by kind and attentive staff. We saw that care workers showed patience and gave encouragement when supporting people. A family member said the experience of using Aspire Respite and Support Services had been very positive. They explained how immediately the registered provider identified their relative's needs and how their relative had been supported to improve their daily living skills in regard to the dining experience. They described how staff at Aspire have understood their relative's sense of humour and how they listen and react to that. They said, 'all in all I've been very impressed.'
People's preferences, interests, aspirations and diverse needs had been recorded and care and support had been provided in accordance with people's preferences.
Is the service responsive?
Services were organised so that they met people's needs. People completed a range of activities in and outside the service regularly and were assisted to access the community and maintain relationships with family members.
The service had systems in place to deal with people's concerns if necessary.
Is the service well-led?
The leadership, management and governance of the organisation was focused on the delivery of person-centred care. The service worked well with other agencies and services to make sure people received their care in a joined up way.
Discussions with staff told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. Discussions on best practice, improved ways of working and incident reviews were common throughout formal team meetings and informal discussions.
The service had a quality assurance system in place and records seen by us showed that identified actions, in the main were addressed within reasonable timescales.
If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.