Background to this inspection
Updated
10 March 2023
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in 26 ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave short notice of the inspection to arrange visits with the registered manager as we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since they registered. The provider was asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
During the inspection
We spoke with 12 people who used the service and 10 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 10 staff including the registered manager, a line manager, team leaders and support workers. We also contacted health care professions and obtained feedback from 3.
We reviewed 4 people's care records, medication records, daily records. We reviewed records associated with the management of the service, which included policies, procedures, audits, and checks. We looked at staff recruitment details, training, supervisions, appraisals and checks to determine staff were competent in their roles.
Updated
10 March 2023
About the service
Lifeways Community Care provides personal care to people living in their own homes, including supported living schemes. They support people living with a learning disability. At the time of the inspection there were 73 people receiving care and support.
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 supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives 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. Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life. People and their relatives confirmed this. A relative said, “The staff are brilliant with [Relative]. The staff are trying to make them independent. It’s a lot of relief for me as I know they are being well looked after.”
People were supported to maintain and pursue their interests and to achieve their aspirations and goals. The service made reasonable adjustments so people could be fully involved in discussions about how they received support. People received their medicines as prescribed. We identified some minor documentation issues at one scheme, which was rectified by the registered manager immediately.
Right Care
People received care and support from staff who knew them well and understood their needs and considered their preferences. Staff interacted positively with people and had a caring and respectful approach. Staff understood people’s individual ways of communicating. Staff could recognise and report abuse and there were enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.
Staff sought appropriate advice from healthcare professionals in a timely way and staff ensured this was followed. Feedback from health care professionals was very positive and confirmed staff met people’s health needs.
Right Culture
The culture of the service was open and empowered individuals to express their views and be in control of their lives with the support of staff. People received support based on inclusion, respect and transparency.
People and their relatives told us they felt confident to approach the management team and that their suggestions would be heard and responded to. A range of quality checks with oversight at provider level helped to maintain and improve the service and the lives of people supported
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 18 December 2019).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had continued to make improvements that were identified from the information we held about the service. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions, Safe, Effective, Responsive and Well-led. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Lifeways Community Care (Doncaaster) on our website at www.cqc.org.uk
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.