Studio 24

Studio 24 is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. The provider also has supported living environments which also offer respite services. The service provides support to a wide section of the community, people with a physical disability, learning disability or autism, mental health needs and or sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection, there were 45 people using the service. 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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. 'Right support, right care, right culture' is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Support

People were not always supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives as staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice and follow the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). Medicines were not managed and administered safely.

Right Care

People received care that was personalised from staff who knew them well. However, risks to people were not always assessed and documented appropriately to ensure their safety. There were enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people's needs and keep them safe. Safe recruitment processes were followed. People’s privacy was respected and they were treated with dignity and respect. People were supported where required to access a range of health and social care services when they needed them.

Right Culture

Systems and processes in place for monitoring the quality and safety of the service were not robust or effective in identifying issues and concerns found at this inspection and for helping to drive service improvements. Staff received training and support relevant to their needs and the needs of the people they supported. The registered manager understood the responsibilities of their role including the duty of candour.

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 30 October 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to assess if the provider was complying with our regulations. We conducted a comprehensive inspection which looked at all the key questions.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to the need for consent, safe care and treatment and good governance. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

This inspection took place on 21 September 2017 and was announced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector. This was the first inspection of the service since they registered this location with the CQC in 2016. They were formally known and operated as Peculiar Care Homes Limited -

F32 Waterfront Studios.

Peculiar Care service – Studio 24 provides personal care and support to younger adults in their own homes. People using the service have complex needs including learning disabilities and autism. The care and support people received ranged from short visits to 24 hour care with some people having two-to-one support depending on needs and requirements. At the time of our inspection 19 people were receiving personal care service.

There is a Registered Manager at this location. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were kept safe by staff that had a thorough knowledge and understanding of their responsibilities to protect people from harm or abuse. They knew the signs to recognise abuse and the procedure to report any concerns. They also knew how to escalate their concerns to external agencies should it not be addressed internally.

People’s needs were met and they were cared for by sufficient numbers of staff. Risks to people were identified and actions put in place to ensure risk were minimised and people kept safe. People received their medicines as prescribed and the management of medicines was safe.

Staff understood their responsibilities with regard to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Staff were supported through an induction, supervision, appraisal and training to provide an effective service to people. Staff we spoke with understood their roles and responsibilities and demonstrated knowledge and skills in the job. People were supported to eat and drink appropriately and to meet their dietary and nutritional requirements. Staff supported people to access health and social care services they required.

People and relatives told us staff treated them with kindness and said their privacy and dignity was always respected. People had choice about how they wanted their day-to-day care delivered and staff respected their decisions. Staff knew people well and supported them in line with their individual needs and requirements.

People’s care and support was planned, documented and delivered in a person-centre way. It reflected their choices, preferences, personalities, needs and individuality. People received support from staff to meet their needs and achieve their goals. People were supported to engage in the activities that they enjoyed. People were supported to socialise, learn new skills, and maintain relationship with family. People and their relatives knew how to complain about the service should they need to.

Relative and staff spoke positively about how the service was run and managed. They told us the service was well run and management support was accessible. People, and their family members and were actively encouraged to provide feedback about the service through surveys. These were used to improve the service delivered.

There was a range of systems used to check the quality of service delivered. Regular spot checks and audits were carried out to identify any shortfalls in the service.