Archived: NAS Community Services (Croydon)

Updated 2 February 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 11 and 12 January 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a community service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the office. Before the inspection we looked at all the information we had about the service. This information included statutory notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. The provider had also completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give us some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used this information to help inform our inspection planning.

The inspection team comprised one inspector who attended the office on both days. They also visited three people at one of the provider’s supported living services. They looked at the care records of three people who used the service, staff training and recruitment records and records relating to the management of the service. They spoke with two people using the service, the relatives of two other people using the service, two members of staff, the registered manager and their line manager.

Updated 2 February 2017

This inspection took place on 11 and 12 January 2017 and was announced. NAS Community Services (Croydon) provides personal care to adults with autism or learning disabilities living in the community. At the time of this inspection they were providing personal care and support to four people. The office is based in Coney Hall and people were residing at supported living services in Croydon and Greenwich.

At our last inspection on 28 and 30 October 2014 we found that, although the provider was meeting our regulations, the service required improvement because some records relating to the running of the service could not be located promptly when we requested them. At this inspection we found that the provider’s administration and record keeping systems had significantly improved. The registered manager provided us with records promptly when we requested them.

The service had a registered manager in post. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People using the service and relatives told us the service was safe and that staff treated them well. Safeguarding adult’s procedures were robust and staff understood how to safeguard the people they supported from abuse. There was a whistle-blowing procedure available and staff said they would use it if they needed to. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work and there were sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Risks to people were assessed and support plans and risk assessments provided clear information and guidance for staff on how to meet people’s needs. Medicines were managed appropriately and people received their medicines as prescribed by health care professionals.

Staff had completed training specific to the needs of the people they supported and they received regular supervision and annual appraisals of their work performance. People were provided with sufficient amounts of food and drink to meet their needs, and they had access to a GP and other health care professionals when they needed them. The registered manager and staff had a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and acted according to this legislation.

People were supported to be as independent as possible and their privacy and dignity was respected. People were provided with appropriate information about the service. This ensured they were aware of the standard of care they should expect.

People and their relatives, where appropriate, had been involved in planning for their care and support needs. Their needs were assessed, and support plans and risk assessments included detailed information and guidance for staff about how their needs should be met. People told us there were plenty of activities for them to partake in. Meetings were held where people could express their views and opinions about how the service was run. The service had a complaints procedure in place. People and their relatives said they were confident their complaints would be listened to and action taken if necessary.

The provider recognised the importance of regularly monitoring the quality of the service provided to people. They took account of the views of people using the service and their relatives through annual surveys. Staff said they enjoyed working at the service and they received good support from the registered manager and senior managers. There was an out of hours on call system in operation that ensured management support and advice was always available when staff needed it.