01/04/2014
During a routine inspection
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.