Islington Council Supported Living Service for Adults with Learning Disabilities provides supported living for up to nine people at three sites. There were seven people using the service at the time of this inspection. The service is run by Islington Council social services department. 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.
The inspection took place on 19 December 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a community based care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available to speak with us.
At our last inspection on 14 and 18 November 2016 we rated the service as good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.
At this inspection we found the service remained Good.
The service had a registered manager in place. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
From the discussions we had with people using the service we found that people were usually very satisfied with the way the service supported them. People and staff interacted well together and there were evidently good relationships.
People’s human rights were protected, and the service was diligent with ensuring that the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) were complied with. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were also applied properly and authorised as required by law.
During our review of care plans we found that these were tailored to people’s individual needs. Communication methods of providing care and support and any risks people might face were regularly reviewed. Medicines were managed safely, people were encouraged and supported to do this independently if possible, but also were provided with support by staff each time medicines were taken.
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Staff completed mandatory training and specialised training. This was tailored to the needs of the people they were supporting. We found that staff appraisals were happening yearly, and staff had development objectives set arising from the appraisal system.
People’s privacy and dignity was respected. From the conversations we had with people, our observations and records we looked at, we found that people’s preferences were known, and staff worked well to ensure these preferences were respected.
People who used the service, relatives, staff and stakeholders had a range of opportunities to provide their views about the quality of the service. The provider took this feedback seriously and had suitable systems in place for monitoring the performance of the service and maintaining quality.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.