Archived: Choice Support

Updated 24 November 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 checked 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 comprehensive inspection took place on 23 October 2017 and was announced. The location provides a domiciliary care service and the registered manager was sometimes out of the office supporting care workers or visiting people who use the service. We needed to be sure that the registered manager would be available to speak with us on the day of our inspection. The inspection was carried out by one inspector 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. The expert-by-experience contacted 24 people and relatives of people who used the service and received feedback about their experience.

Before our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service. This included statutory notifications received from the provider since the last inspection and the Provider Information Return (PIR). Notifications are information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law. The PIR is a form we asked the provider to complete prior to our visit which gives us some key information about the service, including what the service does well, what the service could do better and improvements they plan to make.

We spoke with the registered managers of the service and nine staff members. We reviewed the care records of three people and three staff records. We also looked at a sample of policies and procedures relating to the running of the service, quality audits and training records.

Updated 24 November 2017

Choice Support provides personal care to adults with learning disabilities. This care is provided in people’s own homes, shared lives schemes or in supported living. From the location at Westminster Bridge Road they provide support to London and the boroughs of Sutton and Merton. At the time of our inspection Choice Support was providing personal care to 121 people.

This announced inspection of Choice Support took place on 23 October 2017. At the last Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in December 2014 the overall rating for this service was Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good. The service demonstrated they continued to meet the regulations and fundamental standards.

The service was managed by two registered managers, each responsible for specific geographical areas as well as overall responsibility for the service. 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.

People, their families and the health and social care professionals who knew them told us Choice Support delivered good support to people that enabled them to feel well, happy and safe. Choice Support continued to support people to communicate their preferences and needs and these were taken into account in the way their individual support was planned and delivered. For example, people were enabled to participate in a range of leisure, educational and work activities of their choice and some people had support to manage their behaviour in times of stress. People and their relatives were involved in reviewing their support and told us they were able to make changes when they wanted to.

People said staff were kind and caring and understood how to meet their needs. Staff told us they had received training and support from their managers which gave them the confidence to support people in ways that promoted their independence. The provider ensured there were sufficient numbers of competent staff across the service so people consistently received the support they required. This included support staff, behavioural support staff and health and well-being staff.

The provider had improved people’s access to healthcare services by supporting people to take up healthcare screening. People received appropriate support to access specialist advice and treatment in relation to their health needs. The service met the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People who may lack mental capacity were given appropriate support to understand and make decisions.

The provider had effective systems in place to carry out audits and reviews of the service provided. Action plans were implemented to address any shortfalls.

Staff were positive about working for Choice Support and understood and practised its values. They said their managers listened to them and the views of people they supported. They told us they had participated in meetings and events which promoted good practice.