Archived: Leeds Federated Housing Association

Leeds Federated Housing Association supports people living as part of the shared living scheme. This is where people with a learning disability share the same house with other people with similar needs. Leeds Federated Housing Association has three houses, one of which is staffed 24 hours a day. At the time of our inspection there were ten people who used the service.

There was a registered manager in post on the day of our inspection. 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.

People told us they felt safe in the service and we found staff were knowledgeable about the types of abuse people may be at risk of and their responsibilities to report any concerns. Staff told us they were confident the registered manager would act on any concerns appropriately.

Recruitment of new staff was carried out safely. We saw interview records which demonstrated why people had been considered suitable for their role, and background checks which evidenced they were not barred from working with vulnerable people.

There was a comprehensive approach to identifying, documenting and minimising risks to people which covered risks associated with people’s support needs, the environment they lived in and risks taken to enable people who used the service to follow their preferred routines.

Management of medicines was safe. Medicines were stored securely and appropriately, and stocks and records we checked were correct.

We saw there was a programme of regular training and refresher courses in place, and staff told us they had the skills they needed to be effective in their roles. The provider ensured they were further supported with regular supervision meetings and an annual appraisal.

People who used the service had regular, documented access to a range of healthcare professionals and care plans contained information to be given to hospital staff to help them provide effective care should the person need admission for care or treatment.

The provider carried out detailed assessments of people’s capacity to make specific decisions, and we saw evidence showing appropriate people were involved to help make decisions where this was needed. People who used the service were involved in making choices for each week’s menu and were able to make their own food, drinks and snacks if they wished.

Care plans were detailed, person-centred and contained good information to help staff support people in the ways they preferred. The documents showed people who used the service were involved with writing them.

People were encouraged to participate in domestic tasks and lived in a homely and relaxed environment. They gave positive feedback about the staff and we observed ways in which they were supported to follow their preferred routines and lifestyles.

We saw people were involved in keeping care plans up to date to ensure they reflected their support needs and preferences. This information was also used to complete a ‘Hospital Passport’, which was a document given to hospital staff to help them understand the person’s individual needs if they had to be admitted.

There was a robust process in place to ensure complaints were resolved. If the provider was unable to resolve an issue to the satisfaction of the person, then there were procedures in place to refer the person to the appropriate ombudsman. Information about making complaints was displayed in the services in accessible formats.

We received positive feedback about the registered manager from people who used the service and the staff. We were told they were a visible presence in each of the services and listened to people’s suggestions before making decisions.

Staff had regular opportunities to attend meetings and told us they were able to make suggestions which the registered manager listened to. People who used the service also had regular opportunities to receive updates about the service and give feedback.

There was a programme of regular quality monitoring in place. We saw the reports produced also included action plans to ensure any necessary changes were made. The provider had attempted to further understand how well the service was performing by issuing a survey, but the registered manager told us this had not generated enough results to be meaningful. They told us they were reviewing how the survey could be conducted and planned to repeat it later in the year.

We saw support plans had been written in a person centred way. We found them to be very detailed and we could see lots of involvement and consultation with other health and social care professionals. Each person had a 'hospital passport' included in their support plan this was to ensure if they needed to be admitted to hospital there would be enough information for staff at the hospital to also meet the needs of the person.

Generally there were appropriate arrangements in place in relation to the recording of medicines. We saw policies for handling medication and found by talking to staff, they were followed in practice. The medication records we looked at identified all medicines staff supported people to take.

We saw from rotas that there was a core team of staff for each house so that they could become familiar with every person's needs, and each person also had a key worker. People who used the service said, 'I like the staff' and 'My keyworker is really nice.'

We were told there was an ongoing quality assurance of the service by the manager. This included all aspects of the service including, for example, support plan audits, medication audits and checking the environment to ensure the properties were in good repair.

People experienced care and support that met their needs and protected their rights. People's care plans contained a good level of information that ensured their needs were being met. Two people we spoke with told us they were happy with the care and support they received. One person told us, 'It's alright, I get on well with the other people' and 'I'm happy and the staff are alright.'

People who used the service were protected against risks because the provider had made suitable arrangements. All staff had received training in abuse awareness and protecting vulnerable adults. The two people we spoke with told us they felt safe when at home.

People were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. Appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work. This included carrying out a Criminal Records Bureau check.

There was an effective complaints system in place. Complaints people made were responded to appropriately. People told us if they had any concerns or complaints they would discuss them with members of staff and they were confident of using the complaints system.