Background to this inspection
Updated
18 June 2014
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 was meeting the regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process under Wave 1.
We visited the service on 1 April 2014. We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people who used the service. These including talking with people, observing the care and support being delivered. We also looked at documents and records that related to people’s support and care and the management of the service.
The inspection team consisted of a Lead Inspector and an Expert by Experience. This is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The Expert by Experience gathered information from people who used the service by speaking with them in detail.
Before our inspection, we reviewed all the information we held about the service and contacted a representative of the local authority, who commissions the service to get their feedback about the service. No concerns were raised by the local authority. We received four questionnaires from people who used the service prior to our inspection.
On the day of our inspection, we spoke with 10 people who used the service, two relatives and nine members of staff. We also visited six of the 12 shared houses.
At the last inspection in August 2013 the service was found to be meeting the Regulations we looked at.
Updated
18 June 2014
Leeds Regional Office provides 24 hour personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The Regional Office provides support for people who have a learning disability living in 12 separate houses.
At the time of our inspection 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 and shares the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law with the provider.
Over the past 12 months the service has changed from providing residential services to a supported living service. The manager told us a lot of changes had taken place which included some staff turnover. However, they believed that people who used the service had benefited from the changes.
Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection from looking at records and from speaking with people who used the service in their own homes, relatives, and staff.
People told us they were happy living in their own home and they felt safe. People who used the service and their families had contributed their opinions and preferences in relation to how support was delivered. We found that people were involved in most decisions about the care and support they received. We spoke with staff and saw they understood people’s care and support needs.
People told us they received the care and support they needed. They had been encouraged to make their views known about their care. They had contributed to their assessments and support plans, about how they should be given care and support. People’s support plans had a level of information about how each person should be supported.
We were told people’s privacy and dignity was respected when staff supported people with their personal support needs.
We found people were cared for, or supported by, sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. Staff had a programme of training, supervision and appraisal. Robust recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work.
People were supported to maintain good health and have access to healthcare services. The service worked effectively with healthcare professionals and was pro-active in referring people for treatment and diagnosis.
The manager told us they were confident that all the staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Everyone we spoke to who used the service said they would be confident to make a complaint, should this be required. Staff members told us that they would support people if they wanted to complain. We found the service learnt from any complaints made and investigations were thorough and objective.
The provider had systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service, people had a chance to say what they thought about the service and the feedback gave the provider an opportunity for learning or improvement.
The service promoted a positive culture that was inclusive and empowering. People spoke positively about the approach of staff and the manager. Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities.