The inspection took place on 06 November 2015 and was unannounced. Buntingford is a supported living service for up to four people who live with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorders. At the time of our inspection four people were using the service.
There was a manager in post who had registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
At the time of the inspection we found that one person may have been Deprived of their Liberty and the appropriate application had been submitted to the Court of Protection by the manager to ensure this was being done lawfully. People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment when this is in their best interests and legally authorised under the MCA.
People’s needs had been assessed, and personalised support plans detailed people’s individual needs, preferences, and choices. There were risks assessments in place for all aspects of the person’s daily living and risks were appropriately mitigated.
There were processes in place to safeguard people from the risk of avoidable harm and staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures. They had a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities and had clear lines of accountability. The manager was in the process of recruiting three staff in permanent positions to ensure continuity for people.
Staff obtained people’s consent and this was recorded in their support plans and regularly reviewed. People told us that staff gave them appropriate choices prior to care being provided.
Staff received training relevant to their roles and responsibilities. There were regular support arrangements in place and staff had regular supervisions.
Staff were kind and respectful to the people they supported. People were encouraged and supported to pursue interests and hobbies. People were supported to access health services including their GP, dental appointments and other healthcare professional as required.
The provider encouraged feedback from people and used their feedback to improve the service. They were in the process of sending surveys out to people, staff, relatives and health care professionals.
The provider had introduced an effective quality monitoring audit which was used to check the service in line with the methodology used by the Care Quality Commission.