We carried out a review of the data available to us about Upward Care 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 Upward Care Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Upward Care Limited is a supported living service providing personal care to people with a learning disability. There were forty-nine people using the service at the time of the inspection.
People using the service lived in a variety of different houses, including shared houses and apartments with up to five people sharing. Staff provided overnight support for people as well as in the day and most properties included a staff sleep in room.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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.
Some aspects of the service have 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 received safe care and support. Staff had received training on safeguarding adults and were aware of their responsibilities to protect people from avoidable harm. Medicines were given in a safe way and staff followed infection control procedures. Accidents and incidents were recorded and followed through with appropriate action to minimise the risk of re-occurrence
People’s care and support reflected their individual assessed needs. Staff had the appropriate skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs and received training and ongoing support. People were supported to eat where needed and staff sought healthcare support for people if required. 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.
All the people we spoke with told us they liked where they were living and they were well cared for. 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 as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
People received care and support that respected their individual preferences and lifestyle choices. Information was presented in accessible formats to support people to be involved in their care and support and make decisions. The provider had a complaints process and people felt confident to raise any concerns. People’s wishes in relation to their end of life care were discussed and plans made with them.
A number of quality audits were in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the service. People told us that the manager was approachable and responsive and staff felt supported. People received opportunities to share their views about the service they received. Some systems needed further development to ensure staff were competent when carrying out specific healthcare tasks.
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 20 May 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
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 however they were not available at the time of the inspection. However, there was an acting manager who took day to day responsibility for the management of the service and they were supported by the operations manager. 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 felt safe. Staff were aware of their responsibility to report any concerns about people’s safety and knew how to escalate any concerns to the relevant authorities. People were supported to manage their risks by staff who were aware of the need to protect people from avoidable harm. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to provide people with the care and support they needed. The provider carried out safe recruitment practice to ensure staff who supported people were safe to work with vulnerable adults. People received their medicines as prescribed and there were system in place to ensure medicines were managed and stored safely.
People were supported by staff who received training to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s care and support needs. Staff told us training benefited their understanding and knowledge. People were asked for their consent before care was provided, and their capacity to make decisions had been assessed and recorded to enable staff to support them to make their own decisions where possible. People were happy with the food and drink they received and were supported to maintain a healthy diet. People received support to access relevant healthcare professionals where required which helped them maintain their health and wellbeing.
People received support from staff who were caring. People were supported to make their own decisions and these were respected. People were encouraged to maintain their independence and staff supported people in a way that respected their privacy and dignity.
People were involved in the planning and review of their care and support. Staff were aware of people’s individual care needs and supported them according to their personal preferences. Information about changes to people’s care was shared with staff to ensure people received up to date and relevant support. People and their relatives were aware of who they could contact if they were dissatisfied about the service they received. There was a system in place to manage complaints and where improvements had been identified; the provider had made changes to reduce the likelihood of events reoccurring.
People told us they were happy with the support they received. Staff expressed confidence in the management team and provider and told us they could share any issues or concerns. People, relatives and staff had been invited to share their views on the service, and the provider used these responses to drive improvements across the service. The acting manager and provider were aware of their responsibilities in relation to their roles and had notified us of incidents and events as required by law.