Background to this inspection
Updated
8 July 2022
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
A single inspector carried out this inspection. They were supported by an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.
Registered Manager
This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 24 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the manager would be in the office to support the inspection. People are often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us. Inspection activity started on 10 June 2022 and ended on 16 June 2022. We visited the office location on 10 June 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we received about the service. We sought feedback from professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We visited one supported living setting and spoke with two people. We also spoke with another four people and one person’s relative on the telephone about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff, the registered manager, an operations manager, a regional operations director and a quality business partner. We reviewed a range of records. These included three people's care records and medication records. We looked at staff records in relation to recruitment, training, supervision and other records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures and quality assurance records. We sought feedback from two health professionals.
Updated
8 July 2022
About the service
Cornerstones Supported Living head office provides care and support to people living in twelve supported living settings. Each setting had a staff team with team leaders and service managers who oversaw the running of the settings and reported to the manager. Not everyone who used the service received 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. At the time of the inspection, 12 people were using the service. CQC does not regulate premises for supported living; this inspection looked at people's care and support.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture.
Right support
People had their care and support needs assessed before they started to use the service. People's independence was promoted. Some people told us how their range of skills and social activities had increased, and staff had supported and encouraged them to go to places that interested them. Staff supported people to find employment, take part in activities and pursue their interests in their local area. Risks to people had been assessed to ensure their needs were met safely. People's medicines were managed safely. Staff followed government guidance in relation to infection prevention and control.
Right care
People received kind and compassionate care from staff who wanted to have a positive impact on people’s lives. Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs. People had access to health care professionals when they needed them. People and their relatives told us they felt safe. Comments included, “Safe? Oh yes” and, “I feel safe in my home and with the staff.” There were safeguarding procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these. Robust recruitment checks had taken place before staff started working at the service.
Right culture
People received good quality care, support and treatment because staff had been trained to carry out their roles and were supported by a team of managers. People and those important to them were involved in planning their support. The registered manager and staff worked in partnership with health and social care providers to deliver an effective service. The registered manager said, “It's quite a humbling thing to place someone into supported living environment. We pride ourselves on supporting people to meet their goals and to access things that we all access.” Staff were knowledgeable about people's support needs as well as people's preferences for how they wanted to be supported. Comments from people and relatives included, “Staff help me to live my life” and, “[Provider] has put in place a really effective positive behavioural support plan for my relative.” There was a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to complain if they needed to.
We have made a recommendation that the service ensures all staff have regular supervision sessions in line with the provider's policy.
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 at the previous premises was Good published on 27 September 2018. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Cornerstones Supported Living Head Office on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.