We carried out a review of the data available to us about Mencap - Portland Services 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 Mencap - Portland Services, you can give feedback on this service.
Mencap Portland and Oxborough Services provides care and support for people with a learning disability who live in two houses and people who are living in the community.
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 our inspection 10 people were receiving care and support.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
People continued to benefit from an exceptionally well-led service that provided outstanding care. People were at the heart of the service and its values, which were person centred and focussed on supporting people to achieve what they wanted in life. All staff were passionate about providing flexible person-centred support to people when they needed it.
People's needs, and wishes were met by staff who knew them well. We saw and were told of many examples of staff going 'above and beyond' to help and support people they cared for.
The feedback from people and their families was overwhelmingly positive with a consistent theme that people felt cared for and this was more than just a job to the staff. People were at the heart of everything. Their support was tailored specifically to their needs and staff went the 'extra mile' to ensure people were in control of their lives.
People were treated as individuals and were valued and respected. The staff ensured that people's privacy and dignity was protected and spent time getting to know people. Staff worked creatively with people to maximise their independence.
Staff received the training they needed to provide people’s support appropriately and safely. The management team were proactive about sourcing additional training that staff needed to meet people’s needs. Staff took part in regular supervision and were valued for their individuality and what they could bring to deliver high quality care.
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.
The management team led by example and ensured that they recruited staff who shared their ethos of providing good quality of care. They actively sought feedback from people, their families and staff to continually look at ways to improve the service and were receptive to ideas and suggestions.
The systems in place to monitor the quality and performance of the service were highly effective and the provider was quick to address any shortfalls identified. People could be assured that they were cared for by a well-motivated staff team who were well managed.
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 outstanding (published 02 September 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last 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 had a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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.
Staff knew how to keep people safe and understood their responsibilities to protect people from the risk of abuse. People received the level of support they required to safely manage their medicines. Risks to people’s health and safety were managed and plans were in place to enable staff to support people safely. There were sufficient numbers of staff to ensure people’s needs were met in a timely way.
People were supported by staff who had the knowledge and skills to provide safe and appropriate care and support. People received the assistance they required to have enough to eat and drink.
People were supported to make decisions and staff knew how to act if people did not have the capacity to make decisions.
The service had a culture of individualised care which placed people at the heart of the service, and staff went the extra mile to achieve this. Positive and caring relationships had been developed between staff and people who used the service and staff recognised the importance of people maintaining and developing new friendships. People were treated with dignity and respect and guided in how to recognise equality and diversity in the service.
People were involved in the planning and reviewing of their care and making decisions about what care they wanted. People received the care they needed and staff were aware of the different support each person needed. People were supported to maintain their hobbies and interests and staff recognised the importance of making sure people who received care and support in their homes did not become socially isolated. People felt able to make a complaint and knew how to do so.
People were integral in shaping the service and making decisions about the way it was run. The management team recognised the importance of placing people at the heart of the service and empowering their involvement. There were effective systems in place to monitor the service and people benefited from an open and transparent culture where their views were listened to.
Staff were trained and supported to deliver safe, effective care. There were systems in place to ensure staff were given ongoing development. Both people we spoke with told us they liked the staff and that they supported them well. One person said, 'They [staff] help me to clean my room and to cook.' The other person told us, 'They [staff] are very nice.'
We found fortnightly meetings were held between staff and people using the service. Both people we spoke with told us they attended these meetings and said they got to have a say in what happened in relation to their care and support. One person said, 'We talk about where we want to go out and what we are going to eat.'
Records we looked at showed people were involved in decisions being made about their care and support and, when able, people had signed their support plans. For example, we saw that staff had helped people make choices about where they wanted to go on holiday
We looked at the support plans and records of three people who used the service and found people's needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with their individual plan. Staff we spoke with demonstrated a good understanding of the needs of people using the service and how their support should be provided.
We found that staff had been screened as to their suitability to work with vulnerable adults and were aware of the appropriate reporting processes should an allegation of abuse be raised.
The provider had an effective quality assurance system.