- Homecare service
Voyage (DCA) Swindon
Assessment report published 12 May 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of inspection: 05 March to 10 March 2025. The inspection was carried out because of the time since the last assessment. The service is a supported living service providing personal care support to 13 people with learning disabilities across 9 houses.
We assessed the service against ‘right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed and demonstrated that people with a learning disability and autistic people are considered with respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and access to local communities that most people take for granted.
People were involved in assessments of their needs. Staff reviewed assessments taking account of people’s communication, personal, health needs and other complex packages of support. Care was based on latest evidence and good practice.
Staff worked with all agencies involved in people’s care for the best outcomes and smooth transitions when moving services. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent. The provider had also recorded how they had made decisions in people’s best interests where they lacked capacity.
Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture based on a person-centred approach to meeting people’s needs and undertook shifts throughout the services helping to build a holistic approach to the care and support of people.
Staff felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. They also felt confident to speak up and were offered regular team meetings and supervisions. Managers worked with the local community to deliver the best possible care and were receptive to new ideas.
Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and there was a culture of continuous improvement with staff given time and resources to try new ideas.
We found that risks were well documented and despite risk, people were supported to access their local community and to go on holidays and short breaks away.
People's experience of this service
We spoke with 4 people receiving personal care support and 6 relatives.
People told us they felt safe in their home and liked the staff that supported them. ‘I love living here’ ‘staff are great’ and ‘staff support me with my relationships’ were comments we heard regularly.
People said there were enough staff available to support them to attend activities and events they wanted to go to. People especially liked the competitions the provider organises as well as short breaks away for example to Butlin’s.
People said ‘staff help me to take my medicine when I need to’and to attend health appointments. People knew who they could talk to if they were not happy about their support and were confident any problems would be resolved. There were easy read documents on how to speak up. People were proud of their homes and wanted to show us around and how they had personalised their spaces. People also said their loved ones and friends could visit them at any time.
Relatives told us people were given good support when they moved into the service and were involved in all decisions about their care. Comments from relatives included people’s move into the service as being ‘brilliant’ and how meetings were organised for family to attend a ‘training day’ where they could meet the senior team and the staff who were providing the direct support.
Some relatives raised concerns about the amount of time staff on their mobile phones. However, we were shown that mobile phones are a large part of care recording for staff an that they access policies through the app on their phone. Relatives said people were supported to be as independent as possible and to develop skills, for example in relation to meal planning and preparation and managing their personal care. Relatives said staff had the right skills to meet people’s needs and treated people with “respect and kindness” and ‘staff always put my son first’.
However, several relatives did express that they felt there is a lack of communication from managers but we did receive positive feedback from relatives as well.