12, 13 and 15 August 2014
During a routine inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.
This was an announced inspection. We gave the provider two days’ notice of our inspection. The last CQC inspection was carried out in April 2013. At that time, we found that all regulations we reviewed were met.
The service provides care and support to people living in their own flats or shared accommodation within supported living schemes. An outreach service is also provided to people living in their own homes. It specialises in providing care to people who have mental health needs and those with a learning disability. There were 29 people using the service at the time of our inspection. There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider. However, the registered manager was on long term leave and an interim service manager was in post.
People and their relatives told us they felt safe, and staff supported them to keep safe in their homes and out in the community. Suitable arrangements were in place to ensure people who used the service were safeguarded against the risk of abuse.
Processes were in place to identify any risks to people who used the service and management plans were put in place to keep people safe and free from harm, whilst enabling them to have as much independence as possible.
Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and about issues in relation to people being deprived of their liberty. They were aware how to ensure the rights of people who lacked the mental capacity to make decisions were recognised and respected.
Staffing levels were determined by the individual support that people required. These were reviewed regularly to ensure people had the right support to meet their goals and aspirations. There was a programme of training, supervision and appraisal to support staff to meet people’s needs.
Recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work at the service.
People’s health and social care needs were assessed to ensure that the service was suitable for them and could meet their needs. They were involved in the assessment process and development of their care plan. These were centred on the individual and provided staff with guidance on how the person wanted to be supported.
People told us they were confident to raise any concerns they had with the staff and managers. Complaints were dealt with in line with the complaints procedure.
People told us the staff treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. Throughout our inspection we saw that staff addressed people with respect and sought their permission before providing any support. People were supported to access activities, education, employment and facilities in the local community, so that they developed their skills and independence.
Staff said they enjoyed their work and had good management support. All the managers we spoke with had a good understanding of the needs of people they supported. They confirmed that they wanted to empower people to have more control over the way their support was provided, in choosing their goals and to become more independent.
There were effective systems in place to monitor the care and welfare of people and improve the quality of the service provided. Staff used national guidance to implement improvements in the way people were supported to live their lives.