Autism East Midlands Supported Living

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider and staff team always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People had positive relationships with the staff. People were addressed by their preferred names. Staff showed an interest in people and their preferences. Relatives confirmed staff were kind and caring. One relative told us, “I have no complaints about the staff that work with [name of loved one]. They are very good.” Another relative said, “The regular staff working in the house are very good. They know [name of loved one] very well. There are a few agency staff and they seem nice enough but [ name of loved one] won’t have the same relationship with them as they don’t know them well enough.” The provider confirmed they were recruiting staff and agency staff were working alongside regular staff until vacancies were filled.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People’s individuality was respected and staff made efforts to accommodate people’s personal preferences and communication styles. People were encouraged to participate in activities of their own choosing, such as trips out into the local community for walks and to local eateries and other establishments.

People were supported to make choices about their daily lives, including meals, clothing, and activities, and were encouraged to maintain independence. Staff did not wear uniforms to promote a homely, relaxed and non-institutional environment.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over the support they received.

People were supported by staff to engage in activities of their choosing, such as visiting parks, cafés and other community facilities. One person told us they enjoyed going out and liked going ten pin bowling.

People were supported to understand their rights and be involved in the development of their own care. Representatives involved in the development of people’s care was documented appropriately. Support plans identified what people were able to do for themselves and where they needed support. People’s preferences, goals and aspirations were detailed in the support plans and integrated with the daily tasks.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff had a good rapport and understanding of people’s communication needs. Staff told us about people’s preferences and routines. They had a good understanding of people’s anxieties and how to support them in managing these.

Relatives confirmed staff took action to minimise any discomfort or concerns and contacted GP’s and other relevant healthcare professionals in a timely manner. The service communicated effectively with other agencies, providing communication and hospital passports where needed, to ensure continuity of care and a shared understanding of each person’s needs.

The provider did not always promote the wellbeing of their staff. They did not always support or enable staff to deliver person-centred care.

The behaviours of some people using the service impacted on the wellbeing of others using the service. This impacted on the support the staff provided, as they were not always able to ensure people received person centred care.

Staff told us they enjoyed working with the people using the service but told us due to some behaviours this could be difficult and stressful. Some staff believed that not everyone was compatible to live together.

Some staff told us they didn’t feel included by management, and they were not clear on some decisions that were made. The provider confirmed they had spoken to staff following our visit, regarding their concerns to reassure them. Improvements are needed to the workplace to ensure mutual support is encouraged.

Staff confirmed they were supported to achieve a good work life balance, such as staff shifts were accommodated around childcare arrangements.