We carried out a review of the data available to us about Pathways 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 Pathways Support, you can give feedback on this service.
Pathways support is a supported living service providing the regulated activity personal care. The
service provides support to adults with a mental health need, learning disability or autism. 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. At the time of our inspection there were seven people receiving a personal care service.
Care was provided in shared houses for up to four people. Each person had their own bedroom and shared communal facilities such as lounges, kitchen/dining rooms and gardens.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
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.
This focused inspection covered safe and well-led. Based on the information reviewed and feedback from staff, relatives, people and external professionals the service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture.
The model of care and setting maximised people's choice, control and Independence. Care was person-centred and promoted people's dignity, privacy and human rights. The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.
Right Support
People were supported by staff who knew how to prevent and manage risks and keep them safe from avoidable harm whilst enabling them to fully enjoy life. The service's arrangements for controlling infection were effective. People received their medicines safely, there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and safe recruitment and induction procedures were followed.
Right care
An integrated risk assessment and care planning system helped ensure people received personal care and support tailored to meet their individual needs and wishes. People were encouraged to make decisions about the care and support they received and had their choices respected.
Right culture
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, family members and an external professional were positive about all aspects of the service. The management team understood their responsibilities and had safe systems in place to ensure these were met.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (Published 28 February 2019) and there were breaches of regulation. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted due to the time since the previous inspection. We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 22 January 2019. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve medicines management, submission of statutory notifications and governance of the service. Statutory notifications are information the provider is legally required to send to CQC.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions safe and well-led which contain those requirements.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good based on the findings of this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Pathways support on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen .
People’s experience of using this service:
• The service needed to make improvements because the provider lacked effective governance systems to identify concerns in the service and drive the necessary improvement; The management of medicines for people was not always safe and we could not be assured people received their medicines in line with the prescriptions; At times there was a lack of clear and accurate records regarding people’s support and any potential risks to them or others.
• Whilst we saw when incidents occurred, the provider took action we were not always confident from the records that learning had taken place or that the appropriate external bodies had been notified.
• However, people were happy with the service they received and felt supported by kind and caring staff to do what they wanted and make their own decisions.
• There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and staff’s knowledge and understanding of the people they supported was good. Staff recognised people’s abilities, encouraged their independence and supported them in times of distress.
• No one had any complaints and felt the management team were open, approachable and supportive. Everyone was confident the provider would take the necessary actions to address any concerns promptly.
• The registered manager and office staff demonstrated a willingness to make improvements and during the inspection began reviewing their systems and process to ensure the service consistently provided good, safe, quality care and support.
Rating at last inspection: This was the first inspection since the service became registered with CQC.
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection to ensure the provider was meeting the requirements of the legislation.
Follow up: We will ask the registered provider for a clear action plan to address the breaches of regulations. We will continue to monitor all information received about the service to understand any risks that may arise and to ensure the next inspection is scheduled accordingly.