Coopers Way respite service is a purpose built home situated in a residential area and within reach of local amenities and shops. It is a detached two storey property, providing accommodation for 6 people who require nursing or personal care. The building has six bedrooms, one lounge, kitchen/dining area and a sensory lounge. The service provides respite care (short stay). The period of stay depends on the needs of the individual person and their relatives. At the time of our inspection visit there were six people staying with the service.

At the last inspection carried out on 14 March 2016 the service was rated 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.

There was a registered manager in place. 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 who used this service had complex needs and were not able to tell us about their experiences. To assist us to gain an overview of the service we spoke with family members of 12 people who used the service. We also observed the care and support provided for two people staying at the home. We saw staff communicated with both people by their preferred method and displayed a warm and caring attitude. Both people appeared comfortable in their surroundings and enjoyed interacting with the staff on duty.

We received positive feedback from family members who told us their relatives were well supported, safe and treated with dignity and respect when they stayed at the home. Comments received included, “This service has been a god send to me. [Relative] loves coming, the staff are just fantastic.” And, “I honestly cannot praise them high enough. I know [relative] is well looked after and I have no concerns about anything.”

The service had systems in place to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and take necessary action as required. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report unsafe care or abusive practices.

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. These had been kept under review and were relevant to the care provided.

We found sufficient staffing levels were in place to provide support people required. We saw the duty rota was on display in pictorial form in the hallway. This enabled people who used the service to identify which staff would be supporting them during their stay.

Staff had been recruited safely, appropriately trained and supported. They had skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and social needs.

Staff responsible for assisting people with their medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required.

We saw there was an emphasis on promoting dignity, respect and independence for people supported by the service. They told us they were treated as individuals and received person centred care.

We looked around the building and found it had been maintained, was clean and hygienic and a safe place for people to live. We found equipment had been serviced and maintained as required.

The design of the building and facilities provided were appropriate for the care and support provided. Specialised equipment including ceiling track hoists were in place. These enabled staff to safely move and transfer people with complex physical disabilities. Staff spoken with confirmed they

This inspection visit took place on 14 March 2016 and was announced. The registered provider was given 48 hours notice because the location was a small care home for adults who are often out during the day; we needed to be sure someone would be in.

At the last inspection on 08 April 2014 the service was meeting the requirements of the regulations that were inspected at that time.

Coopers Way respite service is a purpose built home situated in a residential area and within reach of local amenities and shops. It is a detached two storey property, providing accommodation for five people who require nursing or personal care. The service provides respite care (short stay). The period of stay depends on the needs of the individual person and their relatives. At the time of our inspection visit there were 45 people who used the service for respite care. Two people were admitted to the service for their short stay break during the inspection.

There was a registered manager in place. 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 who used this service had complex needs and were not able to tell us about their experiences. To assist us to gain an overview of the service we spoke with family members of eight people by telephone. We also observed the admission of two people into the home late afternoon. We saw staff communicated with the two people by their preferred method and displayed a warm and caring attitude. Both people appeared comfortable in their surroundings and quickly made themselves at home.

We received positive feedback from family members who told us their relatives were well supported, safe and treated with dignity and respect when they stayed at the home. One person said, “They provide a brilliant service, we couldn’t survive without them. I find the staff polite and accommodating.”

We found the registered manager had systems in place to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and take necessary action as required. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report unsafe care or abusive practices.

We found recruitment procedures were safe with appropriate checks undertaken before new staff members commenced their employment. Staff spoken with and records seen confirmed a structured induction training and development programme was in place.

Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and support needs.

People who used the service had a care and support plan created with their involvement or a family member. The care plan documented all aspects of the persons needs including how they wanted their care and support to be provided, their wants, needs, likes and dislikes. This enabled the service to provide a personalised approach to the care and support they provided. We found care plans were informative about the care people received. They had been kept under review and updated when necessary to reflect people’s changing needs.

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. These had been kept under review and were relevant to the care provided.

The registered manager understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions.

We found sufficient staffing levels were in place to provide the support people required. Staff spoken with said staffing levels enabled them to support people an

Coopers Way provides respite care for adults with a learning disability, with complex physical needs and, or behaviours that challenge others. The service provides planned overnight respite care, short breaks and emergency care for people who meet the criteria of the service. The service provides accommodation for up to five people. At the time of our visit there were two people on respite stay.

There was a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and shares the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law with the provider.

Coopers Way is a purpose built building to meet the needs of people with mobility problems. It is a two storey property on the outskirts of Blackpool town centre. The building has five bedrooms, all of which have en-suite facility. Three of the bedrooms were fitted with specialised manual handling equipment, such as ceiling track hoists, rise and fall beds and bathroom adaptations. This meant the building was designed for the convenience and comfort of people with complex physical disabilities and health issues.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand people’s experiences of the care and support they received. This was because people had complex needs and were not able to tell us about their experiences. During our visit, we spent time in all areas of the service, including the lounge and the dining areas. This helped us to observe the daily routines and gain an insight into how people's care and support was managed. We noted that staff communicated with people by their preferred method. Staff displayed warmth and compassion with people and treated them with dignity and respect throughout our visit. People were relaxed and comfortable with staff.

Each person had an allocated member of staff known as a link worker. This enabled people and their families to have a named person who worked with them closely to ensure care was delivered as planned. We saw if people's needs changed their care plans would be reassessed to make sure they received the support required.

We found people were involved in decisions about their care and were supported to make choices as part of their daily life. This started before the person used the service. The staff team worked with the person and their families to develop relationships. This ensured staff were aware of what was important to the people they supported and how they could best meet their needs.

During the visit we spoke with six family members by telephone. They told us they were regular visitors to Coopers Way. They confirmed they were happy with the service being provided and described the standard of care as very good. They told us their views were listened to and they felt supported.

Suitable arrangements were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. The service had safeguards in place for people who may be unable to make decisions about their care. We found the location to be meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

Staff spoken with were positive about their work and confirmed they were supported by the registered manager. Staff received regular training to make sure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. They also received regular supervision and an appraisal of their work performance. This meant they were given opportunities to discuss their role and identify any future training needs.

We found there were good systems and processes in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. Staff told us they felt this was underpinned by an open reporting culture and strong leadership.

On the day we visited one person was being admitted to stay at the home for a few days respite care.

During our inspection we looked at care, staff training records and staff supervision arrangements. We checked maintenance records, undertook a tour of the building and spoke to the family of the person staying at the home. We observed care practices throughout the inspection and spoke to the two staff on duty and the manager. We did this to confirm the person was having their care needs met. We also wanted to identify that staff were well trained and appropriate support arrangements were in place for them.

We found the home had recently re-opened following refurbishment work to the interior. The family of the person staying at the home told us they were very happy with the accommodation provided. They told us their relative often stayed at the home and they were very happy with the service provided. One relative said, “We have always found the staff very caring. We have no concerns about her care. She really likes the staff and gets on well with all of them”.

We found dietary needs and preferences of people who stayed with them had been documented and staff were aware of these. The manager told us this was taken into consideration when purchasing food stocks for people coming to stay with them. The home didn’t work to a set menu and people were able to choose what meals they wanted on a daily basis.

When we inspected this service it had just re-opened having been closed for refurbishment work to the interior. On the day we visited one young person was staying at the home.

During our inspection we looked at care records, medication procedures and the homes duty rota. We did this to confirm people were well supported, their medicines were being handled safely and staffing levels were sufficient to meet her needs. We also spoke with the young person staying at the home, her parents, two staff members and the manager. The young person told us she was receiving safe and appropriate care which was meeting her needs. She told us the staff were polite, caring and she liked them. Comments received from the young person and her parents included:

“I have stayed here many times. The staff are great with me. They make me laugh and they are very kind”.

“Our daughter started using the respite service over two years ago. She really enjoys her stays and is very well looked after by the staff. We have no concerns about her care”.

During our inspection we contacted the Blackpool contracts monitoring team. They told us they had no concerns with the service being provided by the home.

We spoke to people about their experiences when they stay at the home and were told the staff team provided sensitive and flexible personal care support and they felt well cared for.

People told us they enjoyed the quality and variety of food being provided and always get plenty to eat.

People who use the service told us the staff were very kind and treated them well. They told us they felt safe and liked staying at the home.

“I like the staff because they are kind”.

“The staff are nice and friendly”.

“I enjoy the meals”.

“The food is good”.