21 April 2015
During a routine inspection
We inspected this service on 21 April 2015 and the inspection was announced. This meant the provider and staff knew we would be visiting the service’s office before we arrived.
Real Life Options – Nottingham provides personal care and support to younger adults and older people living in their own homes or in care settings in Derbyshire and Nottingham. This includes people with learning disabilities, mental health or autism. At the time of this inspection there were 29 people using the service.
There was no registered manager in post. There were two managers at the service who were covering this position. 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.
At our previous inspection during February 2014, the service was meeting the regulations that we checked.
People using the service were protected from abuse because the provider had taken steps to minimise the risk of abuse. People who used the service told us they felt safe.
We had received information during February 2015 which suggested that sufficient staff were not available to meet people's needs. We looked into these as part of our inspection and found that there was currently sufficient staff to support people.
Recruitment procedures ensured that suitable staff were employed to work with people who used the service.
People and their relatives told us that staff treated them with dignity and respected their privacy.
Staff understood people’s needs and abilities and were provided with training to support them to meet the needs of people they cared for. People’s needs and preferences were met when they were supported with their dietary needs.
People were supported to take part in community activities of their choice, so that they were able to maintain and develop their hobbies and interests.
The provider’s complaints policy and procedure were accessible to people who used the service and their relatives. People knew how to make a complaint and were confident that their complaint would be fully investigated and action taken if necessary.
Arrangements were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service, so that actions could be put in place to drive improvement.
Staff told us that they received support from the management team. The management of the service were open and transparent.