Platinum Living Devon Ltd

Platinum Living Devon Limited provides care and support to people living in a 'supported living' setting, so that they can live as independently as possible. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's personal care and support.

The service supports some people on a 24 hour basis and others who may require support with personal care needs at specific times of the day and/or night. At the time of this inspection, five people received support with their personal care needs from the agency.

The service had a registered manager in post. 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.

At the last inspection in January 2016 the service was rated Good overall. However it was rated Requires Improvement in Safe. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Why the service remained rated Good.

During the last inspection we found the area Safe was requires improvement. At that time the provider had not always followed safe recruitment procedures.

People were now safe using the service. People were now protected by safe recruitment procedures to help ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people. People had their needs met by suitable numbers of staff, with additional staff support arranged when needed. One staff member said; “Yes very safe as X (named person) they have consistent staff.”

Peoples’ medicines were managed safely. Staff received medicines training and understood the importance of safe administration and management of medicines.

People were protected from abuse because staff knew what action to take if they suspected someone was being abused, mistreated or neglected.

Peoples’ risks were assessed, monitored and managed by staff to help ensure they remained safe. Risk assessments were completed to help support and enable people to retain as much independence as possible and help reduce risks from occurring. Risks associated with people's care and living environment were effectively managed to ensure their freedom was promoted. People were supported by consistent staff to help meet their needs. People's independence was encouraged and staff helped people feel valued by supporting people to engage in everyday tasks, for example cleaning and shopping.

People received effective care from staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff confirmed they attended team meetings and they received one to one supervision to monitor their practice with appraisals of performance. Staff without formal care qualifications completed the Care Certificate (a nationally recognised training course for staff new to care). Staff said the Care Certificate training looked at and discussed the Equality and Diversity policy of the company.

People were enabled and supported to lead fulfilling, independent and active lives. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were supported to reach their goals and ambitions.

People’s equality and diversity was respected and people were supported in the way they wanted to be. People's human rights were protected because the registered manager and staff had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

People made a choice of meals, snacks and drinks they enjoyed while being encouraged to maintain a healthy diet. Staff monitored people's health and well-being and made sure they had access to other healthcare professionals according to their individual needs.

People continued to receive a service that was caring. Staff demonstrated kindness and compassion for people through their conversations and interactions. If people found it difficult to communicate or express themselves, staff offered additional support and showed patience and understanding.

The service was responsive to people's needs and people were able to make choices about their day to day routines. People had access to a range of organised and informal activities which provided them with mental and social stimulation. People were supported to access the local community.

People could make a complaint and were confident action would be taken to address their concerns. The registered manager treated complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve. The complaints procedure was available in an easy read version to assist people.

People’s communication needs were known by staff. Staff adapted their communication methods dependent upon people’s needs, for example using simple questions and easy to understand information for people with cognitive difficulties. The service remained responsive to people's individual needs and provided personalised care and support. The registered manager had taken account of the Accessible Information Standard (AIS). The AIS is a requirement to help ensure people with a disability or sensory loss are given information they can understand, and the communication support they need. People received information in a format suitable for their individual needs. Throughout the inspection we saw evidence of how the registered manager and staff understood and promoted people's rights as equals regardless of their disabilities, backgrounds or beliefs.

The service was well led. The provider had systems in place to monitor, assess and improve the service. There was an open culture, and people and staff said they found access to the office and registered manager welcoming and easy. Staff were positive and happy in their jobs. There was a clear organisational structure in place.

Platinum Living Devon Ltd provides personal care for younger adults with physical disabilities who live in their own homes. This type of service is often referred to as supported accommodation. At the time of this inspection there were five people with cerebral palsy who received a range of support including personal care.

There is a registered manager in post. 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 who used the service and their families had been fully involved in drawing up and agreeing a plan of their support needs. Each person held a copy of their support plan and told us they were certain the information was correct. The plans were comprehensive, well laid out and easy to read. They had been regularly reviewed with the person and were up-to-date. Any potential risks to the person’s health or safety had been assessed and regularly reviewed. The support plans provided clear instructions to staff instructions on how each person wanted to be supported.

People received a reliable service. They received a rota in advance which gave them the names of the staff who would be visiting them and the day and the times of the visits. They told us they could rely on staff to arrive on time and stay for the agreed time. They also told us the service was flexible and could provide extra support, or support at a different time, at short notice if necessary.

The registered manager and staff told us one aspect of the service they were particularly proud of was their success in helping people to gain independence and to achieve their goals and aspirations. The service had links with many local resources including education services, social groups, sports and leisure facilities, and employment opportunities. They had consulted with the people who used the service to find out what they wanted to do, and if there were no suitable facilities available they organised their own, for example yoga sessions. People participated in a variety of social activities within the home and in the community. The service had good local links to promote people’s involvement in the community.

People told us the staff were always caring and treated them with respect. Comments included “The staff have the right attitude.” Staff always sought people’s agreement and consent before carrying out any task. One person told us “I feel I am really in control.”

Policies and procedures were in place to ensure people were protected from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm. Staff had received a range of training and information including safeguarding adults and they were confident they knew how to recognise and report potential abuse. People who used the service told us they felt safe. Comments included “Yes, I feel safe with the agency.”

Staff were well supported. They told us they could contact a manager at any time for advice or support. One-to-one supervision had been mainly through ad hoc meetings and group meetings, but formal one-to-one supervision sessions have been planned for the coming year. Staff meetings were held regularly. Comments included “It’s brilliant. We never let issues rumble on. If we need to discuss anything we will let (the registered manager) know and a meeting is set up.” The staff we spoke with were positive and enthusiastic.

At the time of this inspection people were in full control of their own medicines, although they needed some support from staff to help them take their medicines out of the packaging. Safe systems were in place to record all medicines administered by staff. Staff had received training and information on safe administration of medicines.

Staff respected each person’s right to make decisions about their lives, including matters relating to their health. Staff offered guidance and support to help people manage their own health and well-being. People could request support from staff to help them attend medical appointments. Where people requested support, staff liaised with health and social care professionals on their behalf, and with their full agreement.

People who used the service, staff and professionals we spoke with told us the service was well-led. Comments included “Yes, the agency is well run. I think (the managers) have done a brilliant job since they started up the company.”

The provider had a range of monitoring systems in place to ensure the service ran smoothly and to identify where improvements were needed. People were encouraged to speak out and raise concerns, complaints or suggestions in a variety of ways. People were asked to complete survey forms seeking their views on all aspects of the service.

We found one breech of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations (2014).You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.