Bolton 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 good. At this assessment the rating has stayed the same. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 75 (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 who used the service said they were happy with the care and support provided by Bolton Supported Living and that staff were kind and caring. One person said, “I can’t fault them at all, and mum loves the girls, we’ve become like a family.” A relative also said, “Staff do care yes, they’ve got a good sense of humor with people as well.”

When visiting supported living houses, we saw people looking clean, well presented and being treated with dignity and respect by staff. Staff were respectful towards people and knew how to provide dignified care. One person said, “I always buy (person) good clothes, and I ask staff to do the same so (person) looks nice. (Person) is always smart and clean when I visit.”

Confidential records were stored safely. This included people’s care plans which were password protected on electronic devices. Staff personnel records were stored securely at the registered location.

Staff told us about the importance of ensuring people were supported with their emotional well-being and knew about people’s lives and backgrounds. This enabled them to build a good rapport with people and speak with them about aspects of their social lives and what they enjoyed doing.

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

Care plans contained information about people’s social, cultural and religious preferences. Staff knew people well and their preferences. People had individual goals and aspirations recorded within their care plans, as well as any specific outcomes they wanted to achieve.

The service supported people with their religious needs, such as visits to church if this was what people wanted to do. People had access to a range of activities in the local community to ensure their social requirements were met.

People were supported with their communication needs as required. People’s communication requirements were detailed in their care plan, as well as any aids such glasses/hearing devices. Where appropriate, we saw people wearing these.

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.

We observed staff responding to people’s needs in a timely manner. People told us staff came quickly when they needed support. Where people could not communicate verbally, we observed interactions between staff and people that demonstrated relationships were caring and compassionate. This enabled staff to anticipate and meet people’s needs quickly and in ways that reduced and mitigated people’s discomfort and distress.

Several people who used the service had PBS (Positive Behavior Support) plan in place which provided a person-centred, proactive approach used to understand and manage the needs of people who may display behaviours of distress, particularly in individuals with learning disabilities or autism. It focuses on improving the individual's quality of life by addressing the root causes and teaching new skills, rather than just reacting to the behaviours themselves. These plans enabled staff to respond accordingly. In addition to the registered manager, the service also had three PBS coaches to ensurea positive approach to behaviours of concern was embedded throughout the service.

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.

We observed staff responding to people’s needs in a timely manner. People told us staff came quickly when they needed support. Where people could not communicate verbally, we observed interactions between staff and people that demonstrated relationships were caring and compassionate. This enabled staff to anticipate and meet people’s needs quickly and in ways that reduced and mitigated people’s discomfort and distress.

Several people who used the service had PBS (Positive Behavior Support) plan in place which provideda person-centred, proactive approach used to understand and manage challenging behaviours, particularly in individuals with learning disabilities or autism.It focuses on improving the individual's quality of life by addressing the root causes and teaching new skills, rather than just reacting to the behaviours themselves.These plans enabled staff to respond accordingly.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

The provider ensured there were incentives for staff to complete their roles well. Staff meetings had a standing agenda item relating to 'staff recognition' to identify areas of good practice. Staff told us they felt valued; their wellbeing was supported, and their workload was manageable. A staff member told us, “I feel like we all get treated the same and no discrimination.”

Staff were encouraged to speak up and had opportunities to raise any issues in supervision meetings and staff meetings. There was a dedicated room in the main office premises known as ‘the hideaway’ for staff to use and take personal time away if needed. The registered manager mentioned one staff member who regularly used this room due to their personal health situation. Employee forums were held where staff could share their thoughts and views.

Two staff we spoke with when visiting people’s homes felt the care planning system was working well and they had received training on using it; they felt the system gave all the information they needed to safely care for people. One staff member said, “I would have one of my own children in here; there has been significant improvements and more money over the years.” Both staff remembered being made aware of a serious incident which occurred in July 2024, and both confirmed they had received updated dysphagia training and managers made sure all staff were up to date with this training.