Fenny Lodge is a care home for people with learning disabilities, it can accommodate up to eight people in one house. Accommodation is provided on two floors, a lift is available to access the first floor. There is a small car park at the front of the building and roadside parking is also available. The service is situated in Catcliffe, close to Rotherham

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People told us the home was a safe place to live and work. Staff were knowledgeable about how to recognise signs of potential abuse and aware of the reporting procedures. Assessments identified risks to people and management plans to reduce the risks were in place.

Recruitment processes were robust so helped the employer make safer recruitment decisions when employing new staff. Staff had completed an induction at the beginning of their employment. They had access to a varied training programme and regular support and supervision was available to help them meet the needs of the people they cared for.

At the time of the inspection there was sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

Systems were in place to make sure people received their medications safely, which included key staff receiving medication training and regular audits of the system.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

People were treated with respect, kindness and understanding. Staff demonstrated a good awareness of how they respected people’s preferences and ensured their privacy and dignity was maintained. We saw staff took account of people’s individual needs and preferences while supporting them.

Care plans reflected people’s needs and had been reviewed and updated to reflect people’s changing needs. People had access to activities and stimulation, as well as regular outings into the community.

There was a system in place to tell people how to raise concerns and how these would be managed. People told us they would feel comfortable raising any concerns with the management team.

Relatives we spoke with told us the management team were approachable, always ready to listen and acted promptly to address any concerns.

There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Action plans were implemented for any improvements required and these were followed by staff.

Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and had access to policies and procedures to inform and guide them.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We did not speak with people directly regarding management of medicines at this visit. However people told us they were happy and said, 'staff are nice'. One person told us, "I have been out shopping and had lunch it was lovely."

We found that medicines were recorded and administered safely and appropriately. Staff were knowledgeable on the procedures in place to ensure this.

During our visit we spoke with three people who received a service, two relatives, five staff and the manager. People who received a service and told us they liked living at Fenney Lodge and the staff looked after them. One person told us, “The staff are lovely.”

Relatives we spoke with told us they could see the service had improved and the new manager was very good. They said the staff team worked well and ensured people’s needs were met including improved activities. One relative told us, “I could not find a better home for my child, it is brilliant.” Another relative told us, “It is a different home now the new manager and deputy are very good, the staff team work well together to ensure people get out more and their needs are met.”

During our visit we spent time observing in the Kitchen area. We observed good interactions between staff and people who received a service. There were activities ongoing at the time of our visit and people were enjoying the activities one person told us they were going on holiday the day after our visit and were looking forward to it.

We carried out this visit as we had concerns that the staffing provided may not meet the needs of people who lived at Fenney Lodge. When we arrived at the service there was a senior member of staff on duty from another Voyage home, they told us that the manager had also been seconded from the same service to oversee Fenney Lodge.

We were not able to talk with people who lived at Fenney Lodge due to their disabilities. However we did observe people with staff during our visit. We also spoke with seven members of care staff, a senior and the manager.

Staff told us that they managed to meet people’s basic needs. However they said that on occasions people had to wait for care to be delivered and there was not enough staff to take people out on individual activities.

We spoke with relatives of two people who live at Fenney Lodge. They told us that there was a lack of activities. They said although it had improved there were still occasions when people were just sat in front of the television in the lounge without staff present for long periods of time.

We looked at staffing rotas and these showed that there was a minimum of five staff on duty during the day over the holiday period and on most days there were six. The manager or the senior was also on duty each day. Although nine people lived at Fenney Lodge only six were in the home over the holiday period as some were to visit family and friends. Staff told us they felt this was enough staff to meet people’s needs.

At the time of our visit to Fenney Lodge eight of the people who used the service were on holiday and one was at a day service. There was only one person at the service who also went out in the community during our inspection. We were therefore unable to speak with people during this visit.

We spoke with three relatives. They told us they could see improvements and the new manager was very approachable and listened. They also told us that the operations manger had been very good and listened to their concerns and resolved many issues.

Most people who lived at Fenney Lodge were unable to speak with us, due to their complex needs. However the two people we spoke with were positive about the care they received, and told us they were given choices.

At this visit we looked at cleanliness and infection control so we did not speak to people who received a service. Most people who lived at Fenney Lodge were unable to speak with us, due to their complex needs.

Most people who lived at Fenney Lodge were unable to speak with us, due to their complex needs. We therefore used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service. We spoke with relatives of three people who told us there were some very good care staff, however there was lack of stimulation, activities and people got bored. Relatives also told us that on occasion’s people were left in the lounge alone and staff were in the kitchen together.

We observed interactions and care practices during our visit and observed that no activities were arranged. People were left in their rooms with no stimulation and did not participate in making decisions.

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 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

Fenney Lodge is a care home for people with learning disabilities. The service can accommodate up to eight people and is situated in Catcliffe, close to Rotherham.

When we inspected the service in November 2013 we had concerns about the management of medicines in the home. We went back and inspected the service in February 2014 and we found that improvements had been made and appropriate arrangements were in place for the safe management of medicines. We found the service met the regulations at that time.

The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

We inspected the service on the 17 and 18 July 2014. The inspection was unannounced and the inspection visit was carried out over two days.

At this inspection we saw there were systems in place to make sure people were protected from the risk of harm. We saw that staff responded well to people and understood their individual needs and ways of communicating.  The deputy manager told us they were confident that all staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

There were enough skilled and experienced staff and there was a programme of training, supervision and appraisal to support staff to meet people’s needs. There were recruitment and selection procedures to make sure the proper checks were carried out before new staff started work.

Staff were aware of people’s nutritional needs and made sure they supported people to have a healthy diet, with choices of a good variety of food and drink.

People had individual personal plans that were centred on their needs and preferences and had a good level of information, which explained how to meet each person’s needs. People told us that they had been involved in their plans and contributed to their reviews, unless they chose not to.

People had varied interests and were supported to get out and about. We saw that staff were very respectful and made sure people’s privacy and dignity were maintained.

Everyone we spoke with said they felt comfortable raising any concerns with staff and the service learned from incidents and from people’s feedback and used this as an opportunity for improvement.  For instance, people were provided with 'I'm worried cards’ to use if they wanted to share a concern or complaint.

There was a positive culture which was inclusive and empowering for the people who lived in the home. People we spoke with told us they felt involved in their care and support and the staff were easy to talk to.