We carried out a review of the data available to us about ASLS (Avens Limited) on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about ASLS (Avens Limited), you can give feedback on this service.
ASLS (Avens Limited) provides personal care to people living with a learning disability in their own home or in supported living houses. On the day of our visit, the service was providing support and personal care for 13 people with varied care packages. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
People received care in their own homes and people received care who were living in supported living houses where four people or less lived.
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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
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.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having opportunities gain new skills and become more independent.
We observed positive, friendly interactions between people and staff. Staff respected people and focussed on increasing their independence and achieving good outcomes. People were treated with dignity and kindness. People were supported to learn new skills and succeed in their goals.
People received personalised care that was tailored to meet their individual needs, preferences and choices. Person centred care plans were detailed and guided staff about people's needs and how to meet them. Staff supported people to make choices and decisions relating to their care and to live their lives as they wished.
There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs and the care delivered was flexible to enable them to engage with activities, access the community and to live their lives independently. People were supported by staff whose suitability to work in the care sector was checked. Staff completed training that reflected people’s varied needs and were experienced in their roles to provide effective care to people. Staff received regular supervisions and an annual appraisal.
People were comfortable in the company of the support workers. Staff felt supported by the managers and felt confident that any suggestions or concerns would be listened to and acted upon. People were asked for their feedback about the service through house meetings and giving feedback to staff. A range of quality assurance systems measured and monitored the quality of care and the service overall.
People were safe and were supported by staff who were trained to recognise the signs of any potential abuse. Staff had been trained in safeguarding and knew what action to take if they had any concerns about people's safety or welfare.
People's risks were identified and assessed appropriately such as accessing the community, falls and mobility and road safety.
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 this service was Good (published 16 February 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 were safe. This was also the view of their relatives. Staff were knowledgeable about how to recognise the signs of abuse and report any concerns. Care was planned and delivered to ensure people were protected against abuse and avoidable harm. People had risk assessments which gave staff detailed information on how to manage the risks identified.
Staff were recruited using an appropriate recruitment procedure and relevant checks were carried out on staff before they were allowed to work with people.There was a sufficient number of suitable staff allocated to people to help keep them safe and meet their needs.
The provider supported staff through relevant training, supervision and appraisal which enabled staff to provide safe and effective care. People received their medicines safely. Staff controlled the risk and spread of infection by following the service’s infection control policy.
People were satisfied with the quality of care they received. Care plans provided information to staff about how to meet people’s individual needs. People were supported by staff who had the knowledge, skills and experience to deliver their care effectively. Staff worked with a variety of healthcare professionals to support people to maintain good health.
People spoke fondly about the staff and said they were kind and caring. People were treated with respect and were at the centre of decisions about their care. The provider listened to and learned from people’s experiences to improve the service.
Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. People felt able to contact the service’s office to discuss their care and staff were in regular contact with the registered manager. There were comprehensive systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of care people received.
The registered manager had worked in the adult social care sector for many years and understood what was necessary to provide a quality service.
We looked at the provider's systems for administering medicines and found that medicines were given safely, in accordance with people's wishes. With regard to nutrition people were encouraged and supported to prepare healthy meals and drinks and maintain a healthy weight.
We spoke with three people about their care and support. One person told us "the staff are all very nice" and another said "I like my keyworker".
We spoke with three members of staff who all felt well trained and supported in their jobs. One member of staff said people were encouraged to be "as independent as they could".
We saw people being addressed in a respectful manner. We looked at peoples individual support plans and saw that the information recorded enabled staff to plan and deliver the required level of care and support on an individual basis.
We saw that regular audits of the service were completed by the provider ensuring that people who used the service benefit from a service that monitors the quality of care that people received.
Staff told us that they had received regular training and that they felt that they were supported to carry out their roles and meet the needs of people who used the service.
People that used the service told us " I like the staff and feel safe here" and "I am very happy."