We carried out a review of the data available to us about Supported Living and Domiciliary Care Service on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Supported Living and Domiciliary Care Service, you can give feedback on this service.
The Supported Living and Domiciliary Care Service is run by the Epilepsy Society and provides personal care to people living in a supported living accommodation and to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 12 people were supported in a supported living environment and 17 people were provided with support in their own homes.
The supported living accommodation had a staff office and people had their own flat which were shared with either two or four people. The service supported people with a range of needs which included learning disabilities, autism, epilepsy and physical disabilities.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were happy with the service provided. They had positive relationships with staff and described staff as “Fantastic, helpful, always encouraging”.
People told us they felt safe and systems were in place to safeguard people. Risks to them were identified and managed. The support required with medicines was assessed, agreed and provided to people. Infection control measures were in place to prevent cross infection. Staff were suitably recruited. People were supported by a consistent staff team and the staffing levels were flexible to enable the service to provide a bespoke service to people.
People were supported by staff who were inducted, trained and supervised. The support required by people with health and nutritional needs was identified and provided. 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.
People confirmed staff were kind and caring. Their privacy and independence were promoted.
Systems were in place to deal with concerns and complaints. This enabled people to raise concerns about their care if they needed to.
People had person centred care plans in place. They were actively involved in their care and contributed to the development of care plans and reviews. Some people had staff support to access activities and holidays. This was flexible and provided in response to people’s choices. People’s communication needs were identified, and their end of life wishes were explored and recorded.
People were supported by a service that was well managed. Records were organised, accessible and up to date. The service was audited, and action taken to address any areas they had identified that needed improving. People and staff were complimentary of the management team and described them as “Accessible, approachable, caring and positive role models”. Staff felt empowered and committed to providing good outcomes for people.
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 was good (published 3 November 2016)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
The overall rating for the service remains unchanged and the service is rated good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
The service is registered as a domiciliary care service. It provides care and support to people living in supported living schemes and in their own homes. It specialises in providing support to people in the community with epilepsy. At the time of the inspection they were providing support to 29 people.
There was a registered manager in post as required. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
We previously inspected the service on the 11 January 2013. At that inspection the service was found to be non- compliant in supporting staff. We carried out a follow up visit in November 2013. We found the service had addressed those concerns and was fully compliant with regulations in place at that time.
At this inspection we found the service was providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led care to people. People and their relatives were happy with the care provided. They described staff as kind, caring, patient and enabling.
Systems were in place to safeguard people. Risks to people were identified and managed which promoted people’s independence. People had support plans in place and they were involved in their care. The support plans outlined the schedule of visits and the support required at each call. The support plans were updated and reviewed in response to people’s changing needs.
Medicines were safely managed with people supported and enabled to self-medicate.
People were provided with staff at the time they required. The service was flexible too and was able to provide person centred care to people in response to their seizures as well as support with interests, hobbies and health appointments.
People’s privacy and dignity was promoted. Staff were respectful of the person’s home and their environment.
Staff were suitably recruited, inducted, trained, supervised and supported. This enabled them to have the right skills and training to support people effectively. People were supported by an established staff team who worked well together to benefit people.
People and their relatives were aware of the complaints procedure and knew how to raise concerns. They confirmed issues raised were addressed. People were asked for feedback on the service to improve practice. The registered manager and the provider audited the service to satisfy themselves the service was running effectively. Where issues were identified action was taken to make improvements.
The management team were accessible, approachable and supportive. People who used the service and relatives were positive about the management team. People described the registered manager as “Fantastic boss, good at what they do, caring, helpful and someone they can have a laugh and chat with”. Staff felt management listened and valued them which promoted a happy working environment.
We found peoples care and support needs were met by suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. One member of staff told us 'I didn't expect the recruitment process to be so thorough and detailed.'
We found the provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. People we spoke with told us that regular resident meetings took place for people to raise any concerns or issues. One person told us 'They do ask us for feedback and I let them know what I think.' Another person told us 'I attend the resident meetings which take place here, these give me the opportunity to say what they (Service) are doing well and tell them areas they can improve on.'
People's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. Care plans were person centred, detailed and informative. People told us "I am happy with my care plan" and "my care plan meets my needs and requirements". People who use the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening. People told us "I am very safe here", "I feel safe living here and going out with the staff."
Staff members had received up-to-date essential training including safeguarding and epilepsy awareness. However there was the potential for people to be placed at risk as staff were not supported through supervision and appraisal.
People were made aware of the complaints system. People were given support by the provider to make a comment or complaint where they needed assistance. The service had a complaint's policy and procedure. People told us "I know how to make a complaint" and "no concerns and no complaints at all."