Background to this inspection
Updated
3 December 2022
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 team included 1 inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
This service also provides care and support to people living in 2 ‘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 were 2 registered managers in post. One of the registered managers was also the provider.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced.
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 15 November 2022 and ended on 22 November 2022. We visited the location’s office/service on 15 November 2022.
What we did before the inspection
The provider was not 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.
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in their action plan. We used all this information to plan our inspection
During the inspection
Not everyone who used the service wanted to speak with us or they were unavailable. The registered manager facilitated feedback for our inspection from 1 person who used the service. We spoke with 1 relative and another relative sent us their comments. Two social care professionals sent us their comments on the service. We spoke with both registered managers and 3 support workers. Another support worker sent us feedback.
Updated
3 December 2022
About the service
Ebenezer (Stone of Help) Ltd is a domiciliary care and supported living service. It provides care for people living in their own houses and flats. People are supported in their own homes so that they can live as independently as possible. The service provided care for people with learning disabilities and / or autism and people with physical disabilities. CQC regulates the personal care and support. There were 3 people who received personal care at the time of the inspection. 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:
Care was planned, and risks were assessed and managed to help people live safely. Risks from medicines and infection were reduced. Accidents and incidents were reported and reviewed to help improve the safety of the service. Staff recruitment practices helped check that staff were suitable to care for people. Staff had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs safely and understood how to protect people from risk of harm. Staff received supervision and support to help them work effectively.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People had choice and control over their meals and were supported to have a balanced healthy diet. People were supported to have active daily lives and accessed the healthcare they needed.
Right Care:
People’s care was provided in line with person-centred principles. People’s choices, dignity and privacy was upheld. People’s independence was promoted. Equality and diversity principles were supported by the provider.
People were provided with information in a way they could understand that helped them understand their choices. People received support to help reduce any social isolation. People could make suggestions and be listened to and knew how to make a complaint if this was needed.
Right Culture:
The service had embedded person-centred care principles into its care planning, risk assessment and staff development practices. Both registered managers were actively involved with the service. People, relatives and staff knew them well. The provider had systems in place for governance and oversight.
Staff received support and development and felt confident in their roles. The service worked well with other professionals involved in people’s care. People were supported to lead confident lives supported by staff that understood them.
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 8 June 2022).
The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.
At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.
The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Ebenezer (Stone of Help) Ltd 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.