Archived: South Cumbria Domiciliary Support Services

Updated 21 November 2014

We carried out this inspection between 17 and 25 July 2014. The inspection team consisted of an inspector and an expert by experience who had experience of services that support people who have a learning disability. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service. The expert by experience was accompanied by their own support worker.

The inspector visited the service on 17 and 25 July to look at records around how people were cared for and how the service was managed. On 18 July the inspector, expert by experience and their support worker met seven people who used the service. We visited four people in their homes and met three people at an activity in the local community. We also visited the agency offices to speak with the supervisor in charge and to give initial feedback of our findings from our meetings with people. The inspector visited another nine people who use the service on 22 and 23 July 2014.

During our inspection we spoke with 16 people who used this service, six support staff, three of the service supervisors and the registered manager. We asked people for their views on the service and observed interactions between people who used the service and the staff who were supporting them. We looked at the care records for seven people and also looked at records that related to how the service was managed.

The registered manager of the agency had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service, including the information in the PIR. We also contacted local commissioners of the service and social work teams to obtain their views.

This report was written during the testing phase of our new approach to regulating adult social care services. After this testing phase, inspection of consent to care and treatment, restraint, and practice under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) was moved from the key question ‘Is the service safe?’ to ‘Is the service effective?’

The ratings for this location were awarded in October 2014. They can be directly compared with any other service we have rated since then, including in relation to consent, restraint, and the MCA under the ‘Effective’ section. Our written findings in relation to these topics, however, can be read in the ‘Is the service safe’ sections of this report.

Updated 21 November 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 is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to look at the overall quality of the service.

We last inspected this service in January 2014. At that inspection we found the service was meeting all of the regulations that we assessed.

South Cumbria Domiciliary Support Services is carried on by Cumbria Care, a part of Cumbria County Council. It provides support to adults who have a learning disability who live in their own homes. The agency provides supported living services to people living in the South Lakeland and Furness districts of Cumbria. Supported living services involve a person living in their own home and receiving care and/or support in order to promote their independence. The care they receive is regulated by the Care Quality Commission, but the accommodation is not.

This was an announced inspection, carried out between 17 July and 25 July 2014. We announced this inspection at short notice because we needed to check that the registered manager, or another senior person in the service, would be available to speak with us at the time of our visit. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

At the time of our inspection the service provided support to 43 people who lived in 14 properties in Kendal, Ulverston, Barrow-in-Furness and the surrounding areas. During our inspection we spoke with 16 people who lived in eight different properties. With their agreement, we visited 13 people in their own homes and met another three people at an activity they attended in the local community.

We asked people who used this service and the staff who supported them for their views of the service and we observed how the support staff interacted with people. During our visit to the service we spoke with three of the supervisors of the service and with the registered manager. We also looked at the care records for seven people and looked at records that related to how the service was managed.

People who used this service were safe. The staff who supported them knew how to identify if a person may be at risk of harm and the action to take if they had concerns about a person’s safety. Staff were well trained and competent to meet individuals’ needs.

The service followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of practice. This helped to protect the rights of people who were not able to make important decisions themselves.

The staff on duty knew the people they were supporting and the choices they had made about their care and their lives. People who used the service, and those who were important to them, were included in planning and agreeing to the care provided. The decisions people made were respected. People were supported to maintain their independence and control over their lives. People were encouraged and supported to follow meaningful activities including work placements and hobbies in and away from their homes.

People were treated with kindness and respect. People we spoke with told us, “I have the best support workers” and said, “This is a good service, we get good care”. We saw that the staff took time to engage with the people they were supporting. We saw that care was focussed on each individual and what they could do, as well as providing support with tasks that they couldn’t manage on their own.

People were able to see their friends and families as they wanted. People were supported to develop relationships that were important to them.

People received a choice of meals and drinks, which they told us they enjoyed. People who needed support to eat and drink received this. People who wanted to make their own meals were supported to do so. This promoted people’s independence.

The service had safe recruitment systems to ensure that new staff were only employed if they were suitable to work in people’s homes. The staff employed by the service were aware of their responsibility to protect people from harm or abuse. They told us they would be confident reporting any concerns to a senior person in the service.

There were sufficient staff, with appropriate experience, training and qualifications to meet people’s needs. The service was well managed, the registered manager set high standards and took appropriate action if these were not met. This ensured people received a safe service that promoted their rights and independence.