Archived: One Step Domicilary Care

Updated 21 July 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This announced inspection took place between 24 April 2017 and 23 May 2017. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice because we needed to be sure the manager was present and that all the required documentation was available for us to review The inspection was carried out by three inspectors; one inspector carried out the visit to the main office and visited people in their own homes. The other two inspectors visited people in their own homes.

Before the inspection the provider sent us a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed information we held about the service, including notifications they had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us.

During the inspection, we visited the registered office and met with six people who used the service. Where people were unable or did not wish to speak with us about their experiences of the service, we observed the interaction between them and staff to help us understand. We also spoke with the registered manager, two team leaders, a deputy and three care staff. We looked at the support plans and associated records for four people. We also looked at records for four staff and those relating to the provision of support and the management of the service.

Updated 21 July 2017

This inspection was carried out between 24 April 2017 and 23 May 2017. We carried out a visit to the main office on 24 April 2017 and from 11 to 23 May 2017 we visited people supported by the service. The inspection was announced. The service provides a supported living service to adults who have learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum conditions, and live in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, 32 people were being supported by the service across several locations throughout a wide geographical area.

There was 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.

The service had systems and processes in place to protect people from the risk of harm. People’s support plans and risk assessments were detailed, person-centred and reflective of their changing needs. The provider had safe recruitment processes in place to ensure people were supported by suitable staff and there were enough staff with the right skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. Medicines were managed and administered safely.

Staff underwent training which was relevant to their role and received regular supervision and support. Interactions between people and staff were positive and friendly and staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported. Staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and associated regulations.

People had enough to eat and drink. People did their own meal planning, shopping and cooking with support from staff. They were supported by caring staff, who understood their needs, promoted their rights, encouraged their independence and respected their privacy and dignity.

People had opportunities to contribute to their care and support and were included in reviews and meetings. People had plans and aspirations for the future and were supported to work towards these. People also had active social lives and participated in many community activities. There was a complaints policy which detailed how people could make a complaint if they wished.

The service had robust quality assurance systems in place and held regular audits to identify any areas that required improvement.