We carried out a review of the data available to us about Fortis Care North London on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Fortis Care North London, you can give feedback on this service.
About the service
Fortis Care North London provide supported living services including personal care and support to people with a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder or a mental health condition. At the time of our inspection four people were receiving a personal care service.
Not everyone who uses this type of service would receive personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support
¿ The service was caring. People were respected and valued as individuals.
¿ People's wellbeing was improved by person-centred activity planning.
¿ People's needs were assessed, and detailed care plans and risk assessments were in place to help staff support people in line with their preferences.
¿ People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Right Care
¿ The service has taken steps to meet people’s information and communication needs and demonstrated respect for people’s diverse needs and human rights.
¿ Risks to people's care were assessed and actions put in place to manage them. Positive risk taking was encouraged and supported by staff; relevant risk assessments and plans were in place.
¿ Medication was managed in a safe way. There were checks in place to ensure this was done safely.
¿ The management team were aware of their safeguarding responsibilities; appropriate referrals had been made when required. Staff's knowledge and competence in this area was assessed regularly.
Right Culture
¿ There was a strong person-centred culture.
¿ People told us staff were kind and caring.
¿ Care was delivered in a person-centred way around people's needs, preferences and their desired outcomes.
¿ Staff worked with people to empower them to make their own decisions about their care.
¿ People’s quality of life was promoted by staff who knew them well and respected their characteristics and preferences.
¿ The management team were knowledgeable and passionate about delivering quality care centred around people's needs and preferences.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published on 2 October 2019).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well Led
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Fortis Care North London provide supported living services including personal care and support to people with a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder or a mental health condition. Not everyone using the service receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection two people were receiving a personal care service.
People’s experience of using this service
People told us people they were happy with the care and support they received because they felt safe and all their needs were met by kind and caring staff.
People praised the managers of the service and agreed that they were approachable, knowledgeable, fair and did their job well. The staff team worked well together and supported the registered manager.
The staff team was committed to providing a high-quality service and keeping people safe. They had undertaken training so that they were skilled and knowledgeable to effectively meet people’s needs. Staff understood their responsibilities to report any concerns.
Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible and respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff knew people well. Staff managed the risks to people’s health and welfare.
The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.' Registering the Right Support CQC policy.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were given choices about the way in which they were cared for. Staff listened to them and knew their needs well. Care plans contained information about each person’s individual support needs and preferences in relation to their care and we found evidence of good outcomes for people. When people did not have the capacity to make their own decisions, staff maximised their involvement and made decisions in their best interests, in accordance with legislation.
Recruitment practices were safe and relevant checks had been completed before staff worked at the service.
People told us staff were able to meet their needs and were respectful of their individual preferences. Relatives told us staff who supported their children were kind and caring.
People received care and support from a small group of staff, which provided consistency.
The managers of the service actively sought the views of people and their relatives about the running of the service and they dealt promptly with any concerns that people raised.
The provider had systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided.
More information is in the full report.
Rating at last inspection
At the last inspection we rated this service as Requires Improvement. The report was published on 21 August 2018. There was one breach of Regulation 19 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Recruitment practices were not always safe, relevant checks had not always been completed before staff worked at this service. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection, improvement had been made and the provider was no longer in in breach of this regulation.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor this service.
The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.
This was the first inspection of the service that was registered with CQC in March 2017.
The service had a registered manager in post. 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.
There was good overall feedback about the service, from people using it and their relatives. We found people were treated with kindness and compassion, and that they were given emotional support when needed. The service ensured people's privacy and dignity was respected and promoted.
People’s needs were identified and responded to well. The service was effective at working in co-operation with other organisations to deliver good care and support. This included where people’s needs had changed, and where people needed ongoing healthcare support.
The support staff we spoke with demonstrated a good knowledge of people’s care needs, significant people and events in their lives, and their daily routines and preferences. They also understood the provider’s safeguarding procedures and could explain how they would protect people if they had any concerns.
Staff told us they enjoyed working in the service. Staff knew people well, they were able to recognise and avoid triggers which could have provoked behaviours which were challenging to manage. People`s physical and mental health needs were monitored and reviewed regularly by staff, psychiatrists and health and social care professionals.
Staff were trained and skilled to ensure they had the abilities and knowledge to understand and meet people`s needs at all times. Newly employed staff had comprehensive induction training, they were given time to learn about people`s mental health and physical needs. The registered manager allocated key workers for people after they analysed and assessed people`s and staff`s personalities, cultural needs and skills to ensure a good relationship between them.
Person centred care was fundamental to the service and staff made sure people were at the centre of their practice. Care plans focused on the whole person, and assessments and plans were updated when required.
People and their relatives told us they were happy with the service their lives were improved after they moved into their homes. They were confident to raise concerns and discuss with management and staff if they had any issues.
The registered manager had a good understanding of people’s specific needs and they accepted new people into the service after a thorough assessment. They ensured people were familiar with at least one staff member before they moved in their flats.
There were sufficient numbers of experienced and skilled staff to meet people`s needs safely at all times. However, we found that Recruitment practices were not always safe and relevant checks had not always been completed before staff worked at the service
People’s medicines were managed appropriately so they received them safely.
The service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Staff were well supported with training and supervision which helped them to ensure they provided effective care for people.
People and those important to them, such as their relatives or professionals were asked for feedback about the quality of the service.
The registered manager and staff knew what they should do if anyone made a complaint.
The registered manager was clearly passionate about their role, demonstrated leadership and a good understanding of the importance of effective quality assurance systems.
The service worked in co-operation with other organisations such as healthcare services to deliver effective care and support.
The service learnt lessons and made improvements when things went wrong.
We found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 related to the safe recruitment of staff. You can see what action we asked the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.