ASLN

ASLN is a domiciliary care and supported living service. The service provides care and support to people living in their own homes and flats in the community and 'supported living' settings, so they can live in their own home as independently as possible.

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, the service was supporting 26 people with personal care.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The service had a positive ethos and an open culture. The registered manager was approachable, understood the needs of people, and listened to staff. Systems to monitor the quality of the service were in place, they were used to develop the service and drive improvement.

People’s safety was promoted by staff who followed guidance on how to reduce potential risk. People were protected from the risk of harm and received their prescribed medicines safely. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who were safely recruited.

People’s needs, and expectations of care were assessed, which included assessing people’s choices and needs based on their cultural diversity.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their life 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 were supported by staff who had the necessary skills and knowledge. Staff were supported through ongoing training and supervision to enable them to provide good quality care. Staff promoted people’s health by liaising with health care professionals when required.

People spoke positively about the support they received and told us staff were caring and kind. Staff treated people with respect and maintained their dignity.

People and family members were involved in the development of care plans, which enabled staff to provide the care and support each person had agreed was appropriate to them.

Information was provided to people in an accessible format to enable them to make decisions about their care and support. People knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint, and the provider had implemented effective systems to manage any complaints received.

The management team were aware of their role and responsibilities in meeting their legal obligations. The provider worked with key stakeholders to facilitate good quality care for people.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

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 4 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in place. 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 safeguarded from harm as the provider had systems in place to prevent, recognise and report concerns to the relevant authorities. Staff were confident in recognising and raising concerns if they felt people were at risk.

Staff knew their responsibilities as defined by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA 2005) and had applied that knowledge appropriately. People were supported to make decisions for themselves and their consent was actively sought by staff.

There were sufficient numbers of experienced staff that were supported to carry out their roles to meet the assessed needs of people using the service. Staff received training in areas that enabled them to understand and meet the care needs of each person. Recruitment procedures protected people from receiving unsafe care from care staff unsuited to the role.

People’s care and support needs were regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure that care was provided in the way that met their needs.. People had been involved in planning and reviewing their care when they wanted to and had accessible support plans so that they could direct their care and support.

People were supported to have sufficient amounts to eat and drink to maintain a balanced diet. Staff monitored people’s health and well-being and ensured people had access to healthcare professionals when required.

People’s needs were met in line with their individual care plans and assessed needs. Staff took time to get to know people and ensured that people’s care was tailored to their individual needs. People were actively supported to pursue their interests and to make and maintain relationships.

People were listened to and had their views acted upon. The registered manager continued to increase the involvement of people in monitoring the quality and development of the service.

People had the information they needed to make a complaint and the service had processes in place to respond to any complaints.

People were supported by a team of staff that had the managerial guidance and support they needed to carry out their roles. The quality of the service was monitored by the audits regularly carried out by the manager and by the provider.