Background to this inspection
Updated
31 December 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
The inspection team consisted of an inspector and 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 is a supported living service providing care and support to people living in four ‘supported living settings’, so that they 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 provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced.
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection as people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us and that they consented to this.
Inspection activity started on 23 November 2022 when we visited the office location. We visited three of the four supported living properties on 30 November 2022. The Expert by Experience made telephone calls on 7 December 2022. The inspection ended on 16 December 2022 when we gave feedback.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service and sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with eight people who used the service; visiting them in their own homes about their experience of using the service. We spoke with four relatives and got electronic feedback from four relatives.
We spoke with the registered manager, the provider’s regional manager, five members of staff. We received electronic feedback from three members of staff.
We reviewed a range of care records for three people. Where applicable this included care and support plans, risk assessments, healthcare information, medication records and positive behavior support plans. We reviewed the recruitment records for two staff members. We also viewed some of the provider’s policies and procedures, training data, quality assurance records, management monitoring and oversight records.
Updated
31 December 2022
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
About the service
Orwell Central Supported Living Domiciliary Care Service is registered to provide personal care to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people living in their own homes. A supported living service can be shared accommodation or single household properties and where people receive personal care and support to enable them to live as independently as possible.
At the time of this inspection they were 10 people who received personal care. They were being supported to live independently within the local community, in three shared accommodation properties and one single household flat.
CQC only inspects where people receive a regulated activity of 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 care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked only at people’s personal care and support.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service demonstrated how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Right Support
We observed people were comfortable in the company of the staff who supported them; interactions were engaging and meaningful. Staff understood how best to communicate with people, using body language, sounds and pictures to aid understanding where required. People were assisted by staff to manage their own health care needs. Staff worked with other health and social care professionals to support people to achieve good outcomes and enjoy a person-centred quality of life.
People were encouraged and supported to be independent and to engage in activities and interests that were important to them. Staff demonstrated how they ensured people received care that met their diverse needs, including protected characteristics. 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
People received person-centred care that met their individual needs. Staff observed people's privacy, dignity and confidentiality and treated them with respect. There were enough suitably trained, recruited and supervised staff to meet people’s needs. Risks to people were regularly monitored and assessed and adapted where needed. People’s nutrition and hydration needs were met and trained staff safely administered medicines to people.
Right Culture:
A person-centred culture was evident in the service. Feedback from people, relatives and staff was sought and acted on. Staff worked well with each other and morale was good. Complaints, concerns, accidents, incidents and safeguarding issues were appropriately reported, recorded and investigated. This included lessons learnt to mitigate risk and prevent reoccurrence. Governance frameworks were in place to underpin the development of the service and ensure people received good quality of care.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection:
This service was registered with us on 31 August 2021 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.