Archived: Kings Lynn Supported Living

During discussions with people who used the service and family members, we were told about the choices people had made regarding such things as holidays and where they had chosen to go for the day. People made positive comments about the service and when asked about staff, one person told us 'I cannot praise them enough, they are wonderful.' One family member explained that the person receiving support had become 'Very happy and content' since receiving support from Kings Lynn Supported Living.

We looked at support plans for each person and these clearly explained how the individual preferred to be supported. There was clear information about choices regarding such things as how the person preferred to be supported during daily routines as well as during the night time.

Records showed us that appropriate recruitment procedures were used and that background checks and references were obtained before any new staff member started work. This was confirmed by the staff files we reviewed and through discussions with individual staff members.

We saw records that showed us a quality audit was regularly undertaken by the organisation to monitor the quality of the service that was being provided. There were also monitoring systems in the home that informed the development of new processes.

People told us that they were asked for their consent before staff helped them with any personal care or support. They told us that the staff acted in accordance with their wishes.

Staff provided support in the way the person had chosen. Picture prompts were always available to support the decision making process for people who could not always verbally express their wishes. People who used the service explained how staff used pictures when needed and told us that this helped them.

We found that people were supported to manage their own medication if they were able and wished to do so. Staff made sure other people received their medicines safely.

Staff received sufficient training, which helped them to understand the needs of people who use the service. Staff explained how they were supported to undertake continued training, how they had regular refresher training and felt fully supported by senior staff.

The manager had put systems in place to check that people received a quality service. People using the service told us that they were always asked about their opinions and what they felt about how staff provided support.