We carried out a review of the data available to us about Leicestershire Community Support Scheme on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Leicestershire Community Support Scheme, you can give feedback on this service.
At this announced inspection on 8 and 12 March 2018, we found the service remained 'Good'.
This service provides care and support to people living in two 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.
Leicestershire Community Support Scheme provides personal care to people living in their own homes or shared accommodation when they are unable to manage their own care. They provide support with personal care, food preparation, managing finances and enabling people to undertake activities in the local community. At the time of the inspection there were eight people using the service.
The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.
There was a registered manager in post. 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 and relatives told us that they were supported by very kind, caring and compassionate staff that often went the extra mile to provide them with exceptional care. The staff and the management team were extremely passionate about providing people with support that was based on their individual needs, goals and aspirations. We saw that people were at the centre of their care and goals and achievements were celebrated. Each person was treated as an individual and as a result, their care was tailored to meet their exact needs.
The staff and the management team were always available and listened to people and their relatives, offered them choices and made them feel that they mattered. The service empowered people to have as much control over their lives as possible and to achieve their maximum potential. The staff were passionate about the person-centred approach of the service and it was clear it was run with and for people. Without exception, people spoke positively about their experience of the service and the successes they had been supported to achieve. It was clear the culture within the service valued the uniqueness of all individuals.
People continued to receive safe care. Staff had been provided with safeguarding training to enable them to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and how to report them. There were risk management plans in place to protect and promote people’s safety. Staffing numbers were appropriate to keep people safe and the registered provider followed thorough recruitment procedures to ensure staff employed were suitable for their role. There were systems in place to ensure people were protected from the spread of infections. People’s medicines were managed safely and in line with best practice guidelines. If any accidents or incidents occurred lessons were learnt and action taken to reduce risk in future.
People’s needs and choices were assessed and their care provided in line with best practice that met their diverse needs. There were sufficient numbers of staff, with the correct skill mix to support people with their care. Staff received an induction process when they first commenced work at the service and in addition received on-going training to ensure they were able to provide care based on current practice when supporting people.
People received enough to eat and drink and staff gave support when required. People were supported by staff to use and access a wide variety of other services and social care professionals. The staff had a good knowledge of other services available to people and we saw these had been involved with supporting people using the service. People were supported to access health appointments when required to make sure they received continuing healthcare that met their needs.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Care plans provided staff with detailed information and guidance about people's likes, dislikes, preferences and guidance from any professionals involved in their care. People and their relatives were involved in planning all aspects of their care and support and were able to make changes to how their care was provided. Records were regularly reviewed to ensure care met people's current needs. This helped to provide staff with the information they needed to provide care that was personalised for each individual.
People, relatives and staff knew how to raise concerns and make a complaint if they needed to and there was a complaints procedure in place to enable people to raise complaints about the service.
The management and leadership within the service had a clear structure and the management team were knowledgeable about people's needs and key issues and challenges within the service. Staff felt supported and valued. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the care provided and to ensure the values; aims and objectives of the service were met. The registered provider was aware of their responsibility to report events that occurred within the service to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and external agencies.
There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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 who could verbally communicate told us that they felt safe in their own home and we observed people who were unable to verbally communicate to be happy and relaxed around the staff that supported them. Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and abuse and knew what action they should take if they had any concerns. Staffing levels ensured that people received the support they required at the times they needed. We observed that there were sufficient staff to meet the needs of the people they were supporting. The recruitment practice protected people from being cared for by staff that were unsuitable to work in their home.
Support plans contained risk assessments to protect people from identified risks and help to keep them safe. They gave information for staff on the identified risk and informed staff on the measures to take to minimise any risks.
People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed. Records showed that medicines were obtained, stored, administered and disposed of safely. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare services when needed.
People were actively involved in decisions about their care and support needs There were formal systems in place to assess people’s capacity for decision making under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their support. People participated in a range of activities both in their own home and in the community and received the support they needed to help them do this. People were able to choose where they spent their time and what they did.
Staff had good relationships with the people who they supported. Complaints were appropriately investigated and action was taken to make improvements to the service when this was found to be necessary. The management was approachable and had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. Staff and people were confident that issues would be addressed and that any concerns they had would be listened to.
We spoke with a relative who said " Mencap provide an excellent service, I have never had any reason to complain. They always include me in any changes to his care plan or medication. They take him on holiday, in the past he has been to the USA. He has had changes of carers over the years but they must all be from the same tree, they are all very good."
All the staff we spoke with told us leadership was good and they felt supported by their managers. They made comments such as, "I have worked for Mencap for a number of years and I find them very supportive, I really enjoy the work." Another member of staff told us " I feel the training is second to non it is really, really good."
We found Royal Mencap Society Leicestershire Community Support Scheme to be compliant against the regulations we inspected against.