Leicester & Leicestershire Supported Living

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At our last assessment we rated this key question outstanding. At this assessment the rating has remained outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 90 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People we spoke with told us they liked the staff and they were kind and caring. One person said, “Yes, we like living here and the staff.”

One person said, “I love it here, I love the staff, we have some fun.” However, they also told us some staff did not always respond appropriately when they requested support. They had already spoken to the service leader who had taken action to resolve this. We received feedback from an external healthcare professional shortly after our inspection and were told this concern had been resolved to the persons satisfaction.

We observed staff and people had positive relationships. It was evident people were relaxed with staff members who were supportive, kind and helpful.

A relative told us, “The care is exceptional. I think its consistency. There is a very low staff turnover. The bulk of the staff have been here for years and years. They are genuinely very, very caring staff. Key words I would use to describe it are "family" there is a genuine sense of family amongst the staff, amongst them with people who use the service and between the extended family. We feel like a family. We joke that we are family. I know all the workers really well because they’ve been here for years. Another word is "humanity" they're really caring not just to the service users, but they are interested in the extended family.”

Another relative said, “[Family member] is very happy. Whenever I go in, there is always someone there talking to them or doing bits for them. Their appearance is always good; they look well cared for.” Another said, “When I do go [family member] looks well looked after and the staff are so friendly.”

Staff had training about protecting people’s privacy and dignity. They knew people well and knew how to support people in a way that met people’s unique needs and preferences. Service leaders and managers monitored interactions between staff and people and how this impacted on people’s quality of life.

There was a culture of kindness in the staff team. Staff spoke proudly of the things people had achieved. They were motivated to achieve good outcomes for people and to ensure people were living their best lives.

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Without exception, care and support was built around each person’s identity, history and choices. People told us staff met their individual needs. They told us about the things they enjoyed doing and how staff supported them. People were supported and encouraged to live full and meaningful lives. The provider had a 5-year strategy ‘Best Lives, Bolder’ designed to support people with learning disabilities, mental health conditions and autistic people, to live their bestlives possible. The strategy was well understood by staff and evident in practice, ensuring people were supported not only to meet their care needs, but to thrive, achieve their aspirations, and live lives that were rich with purpose and opportunity.

People spoke enthusiastically about the activities and interests that were important to them and clearly explained how staff actively supported them to take part. Many people led full, active, and busy lives, both within their homes and in the wider community. Staff demonstrated an exceptional understanding of people as individuals and knew them well, including a clear awareness of their protected characteristics as defined under the Equality Act 2010.

People’s sexual orientation and personal identity were fully respected and valued. People had access to culturally appropriate meals. A person was supported to attend a gay pride event, enabling them to express their identity, feel included, and remain connected to their community. Staff consistently considered people’s individual backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences, and took innovative and thoughtful approaches to ensure people could maintain social connections, celebrate diversity, and mark experiences that were meaningful to them.

People’s needs were thoroughly assessed including social, cultural and religious needs and aspirations. People were supported to follow their chosen religions and to attend celebratory events and festivals. People were celebrated for who they were and encouraged to develop their full potential.

People’s strengths, abilities, personal goals and aspirations were supported, and they were helped to realise their ambitions.

Care and support plans were comprehensive and identified ways to support people to overcome any barriers. For example, a person was supported to overcome a phobia and this resulted in a fuller more active social life. Through slow, carefully planned exposure and consistent support from the whole team, the person was able to build trust and confidence at their own pace. This resulted in a life changing reduction in anxiety and much greater independence.

Another person was supported to actively engage in their culture and religion. Following the COVID 19 pandemic and lockdown, the person experienced difficulties accessing their local community. It was acknowledged this loss of their roots and traditions had a notable negative impact. Through staff support, they re-established connections with their local community and again began regularly attending their chosen place of worship. Involvement in these cultural activities provided structure, positive social interaction, and emotional fulfilment.

People’s communication needs were exceptionally well understood and consistently met, enabling them to fully engage in their care, treatment, and support and to achieve positive outcomes. Robust assessment processes ensured people’s communication preferences, abilities, and any barriers were clearly identified and reviewed.

Where a person’s first language was not English, the service proactively ensured staff who shared the same language were part of their core support team. This promoted trust, inclusion, and meaningful engagement in everyday decision‑making. Staff had received specialist training in Makaton (sign language) and used this confidently and effectively in practice.

Detailed, person‑centred communication plans were in place and embedded into daily support. These clearly outlined the most effective ways to communicate with each person, including the use of visual aids and symbols, how best to approach the person, and specific triggers or situations that may cause distress and should be avoided. This ensured communication was respectful, responsive, and adapted to meet people’s needs.

Staff we spoke with demonstrated an in‑depth understanding of what was important to people and were able to clearly explain how care and support were tailored to reflect individual needs, preferences, and communication styles. Relationships between people and staff were strong, trusting, and built on shared interests and mutual respect. One staff member described how they had developed a meaningful connection with a person through a shared love of films, which helped to build rapport and promoted emotional wellbeing.

Another staff member explained how they were highly attuned to a person’s non‑verbal communication, confidently interpreting changes in mood through body language and facial expressions. This ensured people received responsive, compassionate support that was adapted in real time to how they were feeling.

People’s individuality was encouraged and celebrated through the decoration and personalisation of their homes. People were supported to decorate and arrange their living spaces in ways that reflected their personal preferences, interests, and tastes. One person proudly showed us the mural artwork displayed in their flat and told us they were pleased that their environment reflected what was important to them. Decorations and photographs were displayed throughout people’s homes, celebrating significant life events, cultural occasions, and festivals that were meaningful to each individual

The provider was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People’s independence was respected and promoted. People told us how they had been supported to increase their independence. A person told us, “I can wash up independently now, I have an air fryer and make fish cakes or fish fingers.” They told us about all the different meals they were becoming confident preparing independently and how they were having cooking lessons with an occupational therapist. They said, “I am much happier here.”

Another person, who had previously felt anxious about using kitchen utensils and the oven, was exceptionally well supported to develop independence with meal preparation. Staff used consistent encouragement, praise, and reassurance to build the person’s confidence at a pace that felt right for them.

Through clear demonstrations, step‑by‑step guidance, including the use of oven mitts, staff supported the person to feel safe and confident in the kitchen. As a result of this patient and empowering approach, the person made significant progress, moving from having meals prepared for them to cooking and managing kitchen tasks increasingly independently.

This strengths‑based support had a positive impact on the person’s confidence, independence, and sense of achievement, demonstrating the service’s commitment to enabling people to develop essential life skills and maximise their potential.

A relative told us their family member had been in different care settings for many years. They said about the service, “We didn’t believe we could be supported in accommodation like this (supported living). The care here is easily the best that [family members] ever had.”

One person had been exceptionally well supported to transition from residential care into living independently in their own flat. The provider described how staff used consistent, daily prompts, reassurance, and encouragement to empower the person to make their own decisions and take control of their life. This included making choices about decorating their home, planning daily routines, engaging in activities they enjoyed, and managing personal care.

The person’s care and support plan was highly detailed and clearly embedded in practice. It set out how staff must provide the right level of support while continually promoting independence and self‑confidence. The plan clearly outlined the steps staff needed to take to ensure the person could safely access their community, explore new hobbies, and develop essential life skills. This resulted in a newfound independence and improved quality of life.

Staff we spoke with demonstrated a thorough understanding of how to support independence. A staff member told us, “It’s the little things matter. [person] is part of the meal preparation, and this is part of their own decision, this is what they want. We want them to make their own decisions. We advise [Person] on safety too and they are responsive to this, we are here to help them. We let people lead their care and support them in any way that we can."

People were supported to maintain and develop their relationships with those close to them, their social networks and community.

A person was exceptionally well supported to maintain and strengthen a positive relationship with a close family member. Staff thoughtfully arranged weekly visits and shared cooking sessions, enabling the two family members to spend meaningful time together doing an activity they both enjoyed. This approach not only supported the person’s emotional wellbeing and family connections but also promoted practical skill development. Both individuals grew in confidence and independence while enjoying valued time together and deepening their relationship. This demonstrated the provider’s strong commitment to supporting meaningful relationships, independence, and positive outcomes.

Each person’s care plan included a section about important relationships and how best to support the person to maintain a social life with friends and family. Many people continued to visit their previous family homes with overnight and weekend stays regularly occurring.

Where people wished to, they were engaged in meaningful hobbies and interests in a personalised way. Some people lived busy active and independent lives, they travelled on public transport to take part in their hobbies and interests. Staff supported people to take part in a range of activities such as swimming, going to discos, fun fairs, cinemas, day centres, shopping, eating out and arts and crafts. People proudly showed us photographs of activities they had taken part in and things they had made.

People were supported to plan and go on holidays. Staff knew what people enjoyed doing. A staff member told us, “[Person] likes Skegness, they love the rides. When we went to Los Angeles, we went to an amusement park they like going for drives like to Heathrow airport. They love railway crossings on the street and being outdoors."

The providers model of care promoted privacy, dignity and independence. People lived in their own homes and had tenancy agreements. Staff supported people to manage their own tenancy agreements and the level of support required was recorded within individual care and support plans.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

People’s needs, views and wishes were known and understood by staff. Staff were knowledgeable about people they supported, how they communicated and how to provide reassurance and comfort. Staff knew how to recognise early signs of distress for people who could not verbally tell staff how they were feeling.

Care and support plans set out in detail how to read peoples facial expressions, body language and actions as a form of communication. For example, how a person may display signs of being in pain, anxiety or being unhappy. Therefore, staff could recognise these signs early and take action to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

A person’s positive behaviour support (PBS) plan set out the causal factors to them becoming anxious, strategies to prevent triggers and how to support if exposed to triggers; how to identify early warning signs of anxiety and what action to take if anxiety levels escalated and post incident strategies to support the person following any incidents. A staff member told us, “[Person] might have a temperature or be sweating, we use all these little signs to work out how they might feel.”

The provider had policies and procedures to support staff in responding to people’s immediate needs such as falls, incidents and accidents.Staffwe spoke with demonstratedan understanding of their responsibilitiesin responding to any incidents in the correct way. A staff member described the action they would take in the event of an accident requiring medical attention. They said, "I would call 999 immediately, try to make them comfortable, use a pillow, I wouldn’t move the person.”

Staff had epilepsy training and knew how to recognise early indicators in people’s behaviour or wellbeing. They knew to increase monitoring if any of these signs were displayed. Care plans detailed action staff should take should a person have a seizure, and this included when to seek medical attention.

A staff member told us how they responded to a seizure for a person they supported. They said, “We have had training to manage seizures. We are aware of what we need to do, the hospital gave us advice. The hospital said we need to put [person] in the recovery position and call an ambulance immediately.”

During our site visit, a loud thunderstorm occurred. The service leader responded promptly and appropriately by stopping their current task to provide reassurance and emotional support to a person they recognised as being particularly affected, demonstrating an awareness of individual needs and a proactive approach to minimising discomfort and distress.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

A staff member said, “So far, it’s the best place I've worked. The love, the care they give to the people. The way management communicate with staff is good, the training is very compulsory. With the people we support they ensure everyone is doing the right thing. Messages are passed across and followed up, management care about family and work balance with staff, they ask and know if you have children, they put everything into consideration, they do 1:1 meetings to check-in. They ask about your workload, ask if there's anything we want to share, they are amazing. We keep improving policies, we've had changes coming in and they should keep promoting that. Management do a great job, they are very supportive especially to the people we support. It's imperative to us”.

Another said, “So far, it's like family to me. I'm always looking forward to being at the service, the staff are fantastic, the service users are friendly and beautiful to work with. I've been working nearly 3 years and it's been marvellous. The way they treat you, I don’t think I would want to leave this place. This is my destination. Here I've been given lots of support. Even the head office knows us and sometimes they come here to support us, they take the time to support us. I am doing further training; I am currently on Learn to Lead 12-month course as well as my level 4 management. I feel most of my requests for further training are met.”

A staff member told us how they had been supported following a bereavement. They said, “The messages of support I got not only from the staff team, but the organisation was very important to me. Based on where I've worked before, and having supervisions with staff members, I think we have same feeling. I don't come to work and think about when it's time to go home, I am immersed in whatever is happening.”

Another said, “It’s a perfect place. I'm on the lead programme, one day I want to be a team leader or service lead, if there are any issues management are always available and open to resolving issues immediately. Any concerns with a service user you can reach out to management, we find ways to solve challenges immediately.”

Staff and service achievements were celebrated at team meetings. Staff supervisions were focused on wellbeing, and support staff may need. Staff were asked to share any examples of times when work was challenging so support could be provided.

A staff member told us they had dyslexia and received support to complete their training. Staff were able to apply for flexible working arrangements.

Wellbeing funds were available to staff who may require a hardship grant. This was decided by an external board.

Staff were encouraged to access a wellbeing hub for support with their mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing. Counselling information was available and advice about how to connect through colleague inclusion networks.

The provider had a ‘lone worker’ policy. This set out action staff should take to reduce risk for staff working alone. Staff had training about this and how to stay safe.