Archived: Cambridge Supported Living Services

Updated 6 July 2016

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 16 June 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection was completed by one inspector and an expert by experience. Their area of expertise was caring for people who have a physical or sensory impairment.

We looked at the information we hold about the service. This included the number and type of notifications we had received. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

During the inspection we spoke with one person. We also spoke with three relatives by telephone this was because not everyone who used the service was able to speak with us. We observed the care and support staff provided to people to assist us in understanding the quality of care that people received

We also spoke with the registered manager, the locality business manager, one deputy location manager and three support staff.

We looked at three people’s care records, managers’ and staff meeting minutes. We looked at medicine administration training records and records in relation to the management of the service such as checks regarding people’s home’s environmental safety. We also looked at staff recruitment, supervision and appraisal process records, training records, complaint procedures, quality assurance and audit records.

Updated 6 July 2016

This inspection took place on 16 June 2016 and was unannounced.

Cambridge Supported Living Services is a supported living service that is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. Their office is based on the outskirts of Cambridge city. The service provided included that for people with a learning or physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were five people who received the regulated activity of personal care.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

There was a robust process in place to help ensure that only suitably qualified and staff who were appropriate for their role were offered and accepted for employment.

People’s assessed health and care needs were identified and then met at the times they required this support. Staff were trained and deemed competent to provide the care people needed or that they had requested.

Staff had a thorough understanding about how to identify any potential harm and who the most appropriate authorities were to report this to if ever this was required.

Medicines management and administration was undertaken in a safe way. This was by trained staff whose competency to do this safely was regularly assessed.

The registered manager was aware of the process to be followed should any person lack mental capacity and thus have a need to be lawfully deprived of their liberty. They and their staff were knowledgeable about the situations where people required some support with their decision making. The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) codes of practice.

People were supported by staff who knew each person’s individual care and support needs well. People were supported and cared for in a way which respected and encouraged independent living skills. People received care in private that was respectful, dignified and compassionate.

Risk assessments had been implemented and these were regularly reviewed to help ensure that risks to people and the risk they took were minimized as far as reasonably practicable.

People were involved in their care needs assessment. People were provided with a wide range of opportunities and occasions to help them maintain close links with those people and communities that were important to them.

People’s nutritional and health care needs were identified and met in a safe way to maintain their health and wellbeing. People were supported by, and had access to, a range of health care professionals including occupational therapists, GPs and community nurses.

Staff were supported with an effective induction and training programme that helped them develop the care skills they needed. Staff were mentored and supervised in the roles they performed and undertook.

People were provided with information in an appropriate format according to their needs as to how to make and raise any suggestions they may have had to improve their care. Action was taken promptly to resolve any concerns that people raised to their satisfaction.

Audit and quality assurance procedures were in place and these were effective. The provider had processes in place, which had been used, to ensure that the CQC was notified about events that they are required, by law, to do so.