We carried out a review of the data available to us about High Peak Community Support 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 High Peak Community Support, you can give feedback on this service.
High Peak Community Support provides care and support for people with a learning disability in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting four adults who lived together in one house and two adults who lived alone in their own houses. These six people were assisted with their personal care and support needs.
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
People felt safe with the support being provided to them and felt the staff were kind and compassionate. People knew who to contact if they were unhappy with the support they received and believed their concerns would be listened to and dealt with.
Healthcare professionals involved with the service told us they had no concerns about the commissioning of the service or how it was managed. The same support workers supported people most of the time. The provider recognised this was important to people. The provider employed enough support workers, so people's needs could be met in a timely way.
Staff felt they had the right training for their role and all staff went through pre-employment checks. Staff also completed an induction as well as shadowing other staff to get to know people. Staff felt supported by the management team and felt they were available whenever the staff needed guidance.
Support workers had training about how to manage medicines safely and in line with agreed policies and protocols. Support workers followed safe practice for infection control and supported people to keep their homes clean and tidy.
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 supported spoke with the highest praise and regard of the staff that provided support and the management team. People told us staff treated them with dignity and respect and were kind, caring and considerate to them. Staff had built positive relationships with the people they cared for and supported. Staff supported people to retain their independence and to remain involved in planning and reviewing their care. This helped to ensure care was provided in accordance with people's preferences.
The management team provided staff with effective leadership and were approachable. Audits and checks were used to drive improvements to the service people received. People's feedback was used to make changes to the service. People, relatives and staff were happy with how the service was being 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 good (published 2 November 2016).
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.
This inspection was carried out on the 12 August 2016.High Peak Community Support provides care and support for people with a learning disability in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there were six people using the service. The inspection was announced, and we gave the provider 48 hours’ notice to ensure there was a manager available to assist with the inspection process.
At the last inspection carried out on 28 and 31 October 2013 we found the provider was not meeting five regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) 2010. These were in relation to consent to care and treatment, care and welfare of people who use services, cooperating with other providers, assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision and peoples records. At this inspection we found improvements had been made.
There was a registered manager and manager at the service. 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.
The day-to-day management of the service and staff was carried out by a manager who was supported by a management team. The manager and management team had worked at the service for many years and had excellent knowledge about the people who used the service. The service was focused on the needs of individuals and there was a commitment by the managers and staff to ensure people received the care and support they wanted and needed.
Staff were safely recruited and followed the providers procedures. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to maintain people’s safety and protect them from avoidable harm and abuse.
Staff interacted with people in a kind, caring and supportive manner. People felt safe with the service they received. The care and support people received was reflective of their needs. People were supported to access health and social care professionals, to ensure they received they received effective care and support they required.
There were safe and effective systems in place to ensure people received their medicines at the time they needed them. People were supported to eat and drink; specialist instruction regarding food and drink preparation was followed.
Staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported. Staff received training to ensure their knowledge and skills were up to date.
People knew how and who to make a complaint to; the complaint procedure was made available to people and was in an easy read format.
Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service. People were encouraged to share their views and opinions on the service they received. People were able to provide feedback either in person, through questionnaires and in meetings.
We spoke with five people receiving care from High Peak Community Support. People told us they were happy with their care.
We found staff treated people with respect and encouraged them to develop their skills and be part of their community. We saw that people's needs were assessed and that care plans were in place. Care was not always planned and delivered, however, in a way that ensured people received appropriate care that met their needs We found that people's consent was not being obtained for their care and their care records were not always fully accurate and up to date.
We saw that people's views about the service were sought and that any required improvements were noted and followed up. Although some other systems were in place for monitoring the quality of service provided, these were not fully adequate to identify and manage risks.
People receiving care from High Peak Community Support were also supported by staff from other agencies. We found arrangements were not in place to ensure appropriate care planning took place so that people's welfare and safety were fully protected.
We were able to speak briefly with people who received support, but most information was gathered from the office base and other sources.
We found that High Peak Community Support had appropriate systems for the recruitment of their staff. We also found that staff were aware of ways to safeguard people from neglect or abuse.
We saw that High Peak Community Support used a range of procedures to monitor the quality of the service. Some aspects were not included in quality assurnace systems, however, including people's care records that were not sufficiently detailed to ensure people's wefare and safety.
We found no evidence in people's care files that they were involved in decisions relating to their care and support, or that people were provided with information about their service in a way they could understand. We also saw that there was little guidance for staff about how people could be helped to communicate their views and choices about their service, so that their wishes could be accommodated.
We found that care files did not include some important information, and that risk management procedures did not fully protect people from the risk of inappropriate or unsafe care.