We carried out a review of the data available to us about Aspire Support 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 Aspire Support, you can give feedback on this service.
Aspire Support is a service providing personal care to people in their own homes, some of which were supported living services. The service supports people with all types of needs. At the time of the inspection 266 people were supported.
Of the 266 people supported by Aspire Support 26 were living in a supported living type service where there were staff available 24 hours a day. Other people using this service were supported with arranged visits in their own home. 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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe. Staff understood people’s needs and knew how to manage risks associated with their care. Staff were trained and understood how to keep people safe from abuse and avoidable harm. People received their medicines safely. Measures were in place to reduce the risk of the spread of infection. The provider ensured practices were in line with current guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
People received person-centred care which met their needs and preferences. People’s care continued to be reviewed with them and where appropriate their relatives ensuring care and support needs continued to be met. People were encouraged to be independent with preparing meals and drinks and were supported to have their nutritional needs met. Staff worked well with health professionals following any advice and guidance given.
Systems were in place to ensure any areas of improvement were identified and actions were taken to make any change so that people continued to receive good care.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Right support:
• Model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and independence. People were supported to live as independently as possible. Staff supported people to make choices and to stay in contact with people important to them.
Right care:
• Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. People’s homes were respected by staff. People were supported to take part in activities of their choice. Staff were caring and spoke passionately of the people they supported.
Right culture:
• Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives. People were treated with respect and were the focus and at the heart of everything. Staff knew the needs of people they supported and were passionate about achieving good outcomes for them.
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 07 August 2019).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part by notification of a specific incident. Following which a person using the service died. The information CQC received about the incident indicated concerns about the management of people’s safety. This inspection examined those risks.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe, effective and well-led sections of this report.
The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service remained good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Aspire Support on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.
Aspire Support is a service providing personal care to people in their own homes, some of which were supported living services. The service supports people with all types of needs. At the time of inspection 35 people were supported.
The majority of people supported by Aspire support were living in a supported living type service where there was an office and staff available 24 hours a day. Other people using this service were supported with arranged visits in their own home. 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.
The service has 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 and their relatives were positive about the service and the care provided. There was a real culture of inclusion from the top down. People were visited by quality assurance assessors with lived experience to check the quality of their service. Also, the service quality director had lived experience and championed people’s voice throughout the service. People benefited from the new initiatives and ideas to improve opportunities for social interactions to ensure social inclusion. Staff were passionate about providing care in a very personalised way and worked with the management team to facilitate this. There was a culture of openness that was reflected in all aspects of the service where people and staff had a voice. Suggestions and ideas were acted upon from people, families and staff. Staff were responsive to people's individual needs and wishes and went above and beyond to support people. People’s well-being and independence had improved with the support of staff.
People were cared for by staff who knew how to keep them safe and protect them from avoidable harm. Skilled, knowledgeable staff were available to meet people's needs. When people needed support with their medicines systems were in place for the safe management of medicines. Incidents and accidents were investigated, and actions were taken to prevent recurrence. Staff followed infection control and prevention procedures.
People's needs were assessed, and care was planned and delivered to meet legislation and good practice guidance. Care was delivered by staff who were well trained and knowledgeable about people's needs and wishes. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were cared for by staff who were kind and compassionate. People were supported by staff who were warm and considerate towards them. People and their relatives felt involved and supported in decision making. People's privacy was respected, and their dignity maintained.
People's concerns were listened to and action was taken to improve the service as a result. The management team were open, approachable and focussed on providing person centred care. The management team and staff engaged well with other organisations and had developed positive relationships. The management team worked on promoting strong community links to ensure people could access the support they needed.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
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.
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 December 2016)
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.
The service is registered to provide care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, the service was providing care and support to 70 people. The level of support offered to people varied and was based on the person’s assessed need and level of independence.
A registered manager was in post when we inspected the service. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People were happy with the support they received and felt safe with the staff supporting them. They understood how they could access additional help if they needed it. Staff supporting people understood how people needed to be kept safe. Staff had received training on keeping people safe and knew how to report their concerns to the management team.
Staff knew how people needed to be supported and knew about the risks to people’s health. Staff
demonstrated what action they would take to keep people safe. People were happy with the support they received from staff and support was based on people’s individual needs and circumstances.
Staff working at the service were employed following successful completion of the providers recruitment processes. This helped to assure the registered provider that it was safe for the staff to work at the service.
The way that people received their medicines was checked regularly so that people received the help they needed. Each staff member also undertook a daily check to ensure the person had received their medication.
Staff working at the service had access to training and regular supervision. Staff were able to discuss issues important to them and seek further training if needed. Staff understood the importance of obtaining a person’s consent and about people’s ability to make decisions for themselves. People were supported to access appointments they needed to attend such as the GP, optician or dentist. People were also encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle through have a healthy diet.
People liked the staff that supported them and felt able to discuss their care. Staff spoke knowledgably about the people they supported and their individual care needs. They understood how people needed to be supported. They were also aware of support networks people had and friendships people wanted to maintain. Staff understood how to care for someone with dignity and respect.
People’s care needs were updated regularly based on their changing circumstances. Staff understood what support people required in order to maintain interests that were important to them. People understood they could complain and how to complain if needed.
People knew the registered manager and had met with her. They understood how the registered manager could be contacted. Staff spoke positively about working at the service and about the support they received. Whilst a number of changes were taking place at the service, staff felt informed about developments. People’s care was regularly reviewed and updated. The registered manager updated the provider regularly with information that demonstrated people’s care was being reviewed and monitored.