Smith Crescent Supported Living Service

Updated 3 January 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This announced comprehensive inspection took place on 13 November 2018 by two inspectors

This was the second comprehensive inspection; the last comprehensive inspection took place in April 2016 and was rated Good.

We checked the information we held about the service including statutory notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

Before the inspection we asked for a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The provider submitted their PIR in May 2018. We took this information into account when assessing the service.

During this inspection we met with four people using the service and one relative. We spoke with five staff including the registered manager, their line manager, the deputy manager, team leader and one support worker. We also contacted the local authority that commissioned people’s care who told us they had no concerns.

We looked at the care records for two people who used the service including their daily records and medicines charts. We also examined other records relating to the management and running of the service. These included five staff recruitment files, training records, supervisions and appraisals. We looked at the staff rotas, complaints, incidents and accident reports and quality monitoring information.

Updated 3 January 2019

This inspection took place on 13 November 2018 and was announced.

This was the second comprehensive inspection carried out at Smith Crescent Supported Living Service; the last comprehensive inspection took place in April 2016 and was rated Good. The service continues to be rated as Good.

Smith Crescent Supported Living Service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in supported living accommodation. On the day of our visit, they were providing care for eight people, two of which received personal care.

The service had a registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The provider and registered manager had improved people’s care and support plans, documentation and policies to be accessible in an easy read format. Quality monitoring of the service ensured people continued to receive their care as planned in a safe way.

People were encouraged to make decisions about how their care was provided and their privacy and dignity were protected and promoted. People had developed positive relationships with staff who knew people very well. Staff had a good understanding of people's needs, choices and preferences.

People received care from staff they knew well. Staff recruitment procedures were followed and staff received training and support to carry out their roles.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities to safeguard people from the risk of harm.

People were supported to access relevant health and social care professionals. There were systems in place to manage medicines in a safe way.

Staff demonstrated their understanding of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 (MCA). Staff gained people's consent before providing personal care. People were involved in the planning of their care which was person centred and updated regularly.

People were supported to express themselves, their views were acknowledged and acted upon. People using the service and their relatives knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint. There was a complaints system in place and people were confident that any complaints would be responded to appropriately.