Archived: Knowsley Network

Knowsley Network supports adults with a learning disability to live as independently as possible in their own homes. The level of support provided varies in line with the needs of the person. This ranges from sessional support of a few hours, up to 24 hour support including night support. People are supported with all aspects of daily living including; personal care, social activities, homemaking and support with finances. The service supported 33 people at the time of this inspection.

The service has a registered manager. 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.

The last inspection of Knowsley Network took place in October 2013 and we found that the service was meeting all of the regulations assessed.

People who used the service felt safe and protected from harm. Staff knew how to respond to any concerns they had about people’s safety. Safeguarding information, policies and procedures were readily available which staff understood. Staff had received training in safeguarding people.

Risks people faced were assessed, identified and planned for. This included risks associated with daily living and activities people took part in around the community.

People were supported by staff that were appropriately trained and supported. Staff felt they received appropriate training for their role.

The registered provider had a detailed recruitment and selection procedure which helped ensure that only people of suitable character to work with vulnerable adults were employed at the service.

People felt well cared for and that their privacy and dignity were respected by the staff that supported them.

People were encouraged and supported to participate in daily living routines and get out and about within their local community.

Each person had an individual person centred care plan that detailed their lifestyle choices, needs and wishes. These documents gave information to staff as to how a person wanted to be cared for.

Several systems were in place to help the registered manager and the registered provider assess the quality of the service people received. These systems included carrying out regular checks on people’s care planning documents and asking people their views on how they were cared for.

Policies and procedures were in place to guide people who use the service and the staff team in relation to safe and current best practice.

People who used the service and staff felt that the registered manager was easy to approach.

People using the service had opportunities to express their views and opinions about their care and support. This included being involved in making decisions about their individual care needs and choices. Records showed people were involved in the planning of their care and support and had agreed to the services provided.

People told us staff treated them with respect and talked to them about their daily needs and preferences. One member of staff explained how they asked permission before carrying out care and support tasks. Comments included, 'I always encourage people to make their own decisions' and 'The support we give is flexible and based around what the person wants to do'.

People were involved in and supported with a range of activities such as voluntary work, shopping, meals out, holidays and social evenings. From discussion, observation and looking at records we found people's activities were tailored to their individual needs and preferences.

There were effective systems in place to regularly assess and monitor how the service was managed and to monitor the quality of the service. This should help to protect people from poor care standards.

We saw that staff had built up close relationships with individuals and were able to help us in our communication with people using the service.

We found that people were encouraged to express their views and were involved in making decisions about their care. Support plans were updated in response to changes, with a full review at least once each year. We saw the involvement of relevant professionals, where appropriate and good systems were in place for promoting good health.

The staff we spoke with all confirmed they felt well supported, received appropriate training and had good access to senior staff for advice if needed. We were told; 'There is always someone available for advice, day or night.' and 'I know we deliver a quality service.'