- Homecare service
Warwickshire Supported Living
Assessment report published 22 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
About the service
Warwickshire Supported Living is a supported living service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. 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 the inspection there were 9 people receiving personal care.
Who the service is for
This is a specialist service for younger and older people with a learning disability and autistic people. We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed autistic people and people with a learning disability respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.
Key findings
We carried out this assessment on 17 and 21 September 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remained accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.
People were supported by enough staff who had the skills and knowledge to support them safely. Risks were assessed and people were involved in the process. For example, staff considered how best to support people when they became anxious and adapted their approach in response to the individual’s reactions and needs at the time. Medicines were administered safely and there were systems in place to ensure the environment was safe for people and the staff supporting them.
There were effective systems in place to safeguard people from abuse. Staff were confident senior staff would take prompt action to support people, if required. People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. Where people are cared for in their own homes, this is done through The Court of Protection. Some Local Authorities refer to these as “Community Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)”, which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We found staff and management worked within the MCA. Systems were in place to identify and manage restrictions on people's liberty, including seeking Community DoLS authorisations where necessary. At the time of our inspection, no one was subject to a Community DoLS authorisation. People were not subject to unlawful or excessive restrictions, they had choice, control and freedom over their lives.
Staff assessed and reviewed people’s needs and developed care plans to support staff to understand how to care for people safely. Where concerns were identified regarding people’s health, nutrition or fluid intake, staff worked with other health and social care professionals, including speech and language therapists and learning disability social workers, to ensure people received the support they needed. Staff monitored key aspects of people’s health and wellbeing to inform ongoing care and identify any changes in their needs. Staff also understood the importance of seeking people’s consent before providing care and support.
People were supported by compassionate and caring staff who recognised that the way support was provided to 1 person could affect others they lived with. Staff considered the needs of everyone using the service and adapted their approach to ensure each person felt valued, respected and included.
Staff spoke respectfully and kindly about people and valued the relationships they had developed with them. Staff respected and promoted people’s dignity and recognised that some people valued spending time alone. Staff balanced people’s needs for support with their right to independence.
Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people’s preferences and what mattered to them. They used this knowledge when caring for people, so they received person-centred care. Staff knew how to manage any concerns people raised to ensure they were addressed them promptly.
Staff understood the unique challenges people faced and took action to advocate on their behalf, helping to ensure they were treated fairly and had equitable access to services. One staff member described how they supported people to receive appropriate care from other health and social care organisations, saying, “You explain about people and then get the appointments [person’s name] needs.”
Staff described a leadership approach which focused on the needs of people using the service. One staff member told us the way the service was led showed them that, “[Managers] want the best for people.” Staff reported receiving good levels of support and access to advice when needed. This enabled them to support people safely, seek guidance from managers, and share learning through communication books, IT platforms and staff meetings. Staff gave examples of learning from their own practice and experiences, which had been shared tactfully and constructively following incidents or errors. They described an open culture in which incidents and near misses were viewed as opportunities for learning and continuous improvement.
The registered manager, service managers and provider completed checks on the quality and safety of the service. These including checking people received their medicines as prescribed, their finances were managed safely, and safety incidents and near misses were suitably managed. The registered manager and senior staff visited people in their own homes to check on the quality of the care they received. Following feedback from the inspector, the registered manager planned to further develop processes to ensure care calls were always delivered as planned to further check staff practice regarding use of foot plates on wheelchairs. This was to help ensure the registered manager was fully assured of people’s safety.
People's experience of this service
We visited people living in their own homes to find out their views about the care they received and to see how this was provided by staff.
People told us they liked the staff who supported them, and we observed that people appeared relaxed and comfortable in staff members’ company. Relatives described staff as caring and said their family members valued the relationships they had developed with them. One relative told us, “[Staff] organise little treats for [person’s name], like they’ll take them to get their nails done, or take them somewhere [person’s name] loves. We really appreciate this.” Staff also shared examples of the thoughtful and considerate care they provided to help people feel valued. For example, when it was someone’s birthday in the house, every person would receive a small gift so that no one felt excluded.
People were confident to approach staff for help, support, and reassurance whenever they wanted it. We saw staff promoting people’s dignity, independence, and rights, and promptly providing reassurance when people appeared anxious. People were involved in decisions about their own safety. For example, 1 person told us they understood why certain equipment had been provided and explained, “It’s to keep me safe.”
People told us staff knew how to care for them and understood what was important to them. People also said they liked their homes and were supported by staff to manage safety in their homes. Staff advocated on people’s behalf with landlords when needed, this was to ensure people remained safe and their home environments continued to meet their needs. For 1 person, this meant some additional outdoor space being made available to them. This supported the person’s lifestyle choices and hobbies. One relative told us about improved outcomes for their family member following staff support to move to a home environment they enjoyed, and which was homely.
People explained they were involved in decisions about their care and support and were encouraged to make choices about how and where they spent their time. We saw people made their own day-to-day choices, which staff respected, and people were gently encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves to maintain and promote their independence. One person told us how much they were looking forward to a holiday they had planned with staff. The person had chosen which staff members and other people they wanted to go with. Staff also supported people to access and participate in their local communities. This included attending clubs, going out for meals, and shopping trips.
Relatives told us they were able to visit their family members in their homes whenever their family members wished. They also described communication from staff as positive and effective. One relative said, “A really a big hurrah for the staff, they’re very good at keeping me updated when [person’s name] has to go to hospital, or have the doctor out. I’m very pleased with their communication.”
Staff supported people to maintain and develop relationships with those who were important to them, including family members. This included supporting regular contact and sharing photographs of activities and outings, so families could see the enjoyable experiences people had taken part in and remained involved in their family member’s lives.
People told us they knew who the registered manager and senior staff were and said they saw them regularly. This helped people feel familiar with those responsible for overseeing the service and provided them with opportunities to raise any questions or concerns.
Relatives told us the service was well run. One relative explained their family member had received support from Warwickshire Supported Living for a long period of time. Reflecting on the quality of the support provided, they said their family member’s care had, “Got better and better, it’s been the best I’ve known it.”