Archived: Community Living Project

Updated 28 December 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Community Living Project is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. The provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do

well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with one person and a relative of a person using the service. We observed the support provided to people and staff interactions. We spoke with the registered provider and four members of staff including the deputy manager and three care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care and medicines records and two staff recruitment files. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures and quality assurance were reviewed.

Updated 28 December 2019

About the service

Community Living Project is a residential care home. This service supports people with learning disabilities and autism. The service is registered to care for nine people; there were eight people living at the service at the time of the inspection.

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.

The service was a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties. It was registered for the support of up to nine people. This is larger than current best practice guidance. However, the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design fitting into the residential area and the other large domestic homes of a similar size. There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff did not wear uniforms that would suggest they were care staff when coming and going with people.

We saw many examples where staff had supported people to become more independent, make choices and increase their physical and emotional wellbeing. With staff support and by increasing their understanding, personalised daily routines were established, reflecting people's preferences and healthy eating was promoted.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

People were supported to stay safe. Risks associated with the premises were identified but not always responded to in a timely manner. Improvements were needed to the administration, storage and recording of medicines to ensure these were consistently safe. There was a system in place to report any incidents, including safeguarding concerns, which were analysed for any themes or trends. Peoples' staffing requirements were assessed and met. People were supported by enough staff who knew them well and had been safely recruited. The environment was clean and good infection control procedures were followed.

Staff were supported to provide good support through effective training and induction to the service. People were supported by staff who understood the importance of utilising positive behavioural support and this was used in line with best practice guidance. Staff also worked with health and social care professionals to ensure the support provided met people's needs. People were supported to maintain their health and well-being and were protected from the risks of poor nutrition or hydration. The environment had been adapted. as far as possible, to meet the current needs of the people using the service. People were able to personalise their rooms. 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.

Staff were caring and kind to people. They were skilled in communicating and supporting people to make choices and decisions about their care. It was clear bonds had been formed and people told us the staff were good and listened to them. A relative spoke highly of the good work the staff team had done to ensure their family member remained well cared for and safe. People were given choices and encouraged to reach personal goals. Staff could describe how to support people and were aware of people's routines.

Care plans were detailed and regularly reviewed. Care plans were developed with people, their relatives and staff and contained people's likes, dislikes, preferences and aspirations. People were supported to attend many activities in and away from the service. The registered provider and staff were open to receiving concerns and complaints and there was easy read information available to enable people to understand the process. Plans were in place to support people's wishes for end of life care where they were able to discuss this.

The leadership of the service promoted a positive culture that was person-centred and inclusive. The registered provider supported staff to be able to do their job effectively. The provider's quality assurance processes had been developed and resulted in improvements to the service.The registered provider and the staff team showed a desire to improve on the service provided and in turn the quality of life experiences for the people at community Living Project.

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 a comprehensive inspection of this service was Requires Improvement (published 14 November 2018).

The last rating for a focussed inspection of this service was Good (published 5 April 2019).

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 reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.