Lifeways Community Care (Exeter)

Updated 24 September 2025

Date of assessment 17 to 28 October 2025. Lifeways community care is a supported living service for people with learning disabilities and mental health issues who live in their own homes in the community. Most people who use the service live in shared houses with other people. This service provides care and support to people living in supported living settings so they can live as independently as possible. People's care and housing are provided under separate contracts. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living, this inspection looked at people's personal care and support.

At the time of this inspection there were 10 people who received a range of support from the service, including personal care. Our inspection focused on the support given to these 10 people. We gathered views form some people and relatives. Where people had communication difficulties, we observed the care environment and interactions between staff and people. The provider had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. Managers investigated incidents thoroughly. People were protected and kept safe from harm. Staff understood and managed risks. The facilities and equipment met people’s
needs, were clean and well-maintained and any risks mitigated. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience. Managers made sure staff received training and regular appraisals to maintain high-quality care. Staff managed medicines well and involved people in planning any changes. We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgement's about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

Updated 24 September 2025

People told us they felt safe in their home. Relatives told us staff were good at their job, one relative said, “The staff are fantastic, they humble us. They understand her every nuance. She has mashed up food. Staff would know if she is distressed and love how calm she is”. People experienced good quality care from a competent team. People and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care and had opportunities to give the team feedback. People told us they were happy with the care being provided. People understood how to make a complaint if needed. At the time of our visit there were no complaints made. Relatives told us the care team kept them informed of any changes to people’s needs. People had access to a range of health care professionals when needed. People lived in homely safe environments. During our visit we saw that people lived a healthy life for example, eating well and doing activities that interested them. One person said, “I love it here, the team are great, I get help when I ask for it”. Another person said they felt empowered by the team and said they loved the independence they had achieved living at the service. During our visit we saw that people were content and cared for by the staff team. Everyone we spoke with praised the team for their caring and kind nature.