The inspection took place on the 10 and the 17 June 2018. The inspection was announced. This was because we needed to be sure that staff and people would be at home to meet with us. We also needed to be sure that the registered manager and staff were available. This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered with the current provider. The service had previously been registered with another organisation.NES Supported Living Service is registered to provide personal care to adults with a learning disability many of who have complex needs in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, there were 10 people in receipt of a care service.
There was a registered manager for the service. They had worked for the previous provider as the registered manager. 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.
This service provides care and support to people living in a number of 'supported living' settings, so that they can live in their own home 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.
Not everyone using NES Supported Living Services receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.
People were protected because there were systems in place to help keep them safe from unnecessary risks to their safety and wellbeing. There was enough staff to ensure people’s needs were met in a flexible way.
People were very happy with the care and support that they received from the staff. People's needs were being met effectively by staff that were competent and knew how to support them in the ways they preferred.
People’s right were upheld because staff understood about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its impact on people they supported. The team knew that this meant people had the right to make decisions about their care and their life. Staff also understood that it meant people were to be properly supported and their rights protected when they were not able to give consent.
Staff supported people to meet their range of health and social needs. Staff went with people to GP appointments, if needed, and to see other healthcare professionals when it was required. People were consulted and involved in planning how their needs were met. They were supported by staff that were kind and caring in their approach. One person told us “They ask me all the time”, when explaining how staff involved them with their care and support needs.
Staff received proper support and supervision in their role. Staff also received annual appraisals. This showed staff were supported with personal development and learning in their roles. Staff had been on relevant training in a number of topics. There was an on-going training plan to ensure the team were kept up to date.
Support plans were informative and were really detailed about each person’s range of individual needs. The support plans looked at on each person's goals, skills and long term wishes. Support plans were reviewed and evaluated regularly. This was to make sure that the support people received was current and up to date.
Staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager. There was an open and accessible management culture. Staff and people using the service interacted with the registered manager in a really relaxed manner. Relatives also felt involved in decisions made about the way the service was run. Their views were actively taken into account by the registered manager.