We carried out a review of the data available to us about Footsteps Care Outreach Limited 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 Footsteps Care Outreach Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Footsteps Care Outreach Limited provides care and support to young people with learning disabilities or autism. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of this inspection there were two people receiving a personal care service.
People’s experience of using this service
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
This was a targeted inspection that considered staffing levels, training, activities, nutrition and how people were supported and communicated with. Based on our inspection of these areas the service demonstrated how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Staff were given training opportunities. However, the provider did not document the dates each staff member completed each training course. We have made a recommendation about this.
People were offered a variety of nutritious food and snacks and their preferences were respected.
Staff knew the procedure to follow if they suspected somebody was being abused. People had risk management plans to keep them safe from harm. There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. People were protected from the risk of the spread of infection.
People were supported by staff who knew them well. Relatives and people were involved in making decisions about care.
Staff knew how to meet people’s communication needs. People had access to a variety of activities that interested them.
The provider had a system of carrying out quality checks to identify areas of improvement. The provider understood their responsibility to report incidents and safeguarding concerns to relevant authorities.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 25/02/2019).
Why we inspected
We undertook this targeted inspection to follow up on specific concerns which we had received about the service in relation to staffing levels, training, activities, nutrition and how people were supported and communicated with. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
CQC have introduced targeted inspections to follow up on a Warning Notice or other specific concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Footsteps Care Outreach Limited provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting 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.
Not everyone using Footsteps Care Outreach Limited receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of this inspection, two people were receiving a regulated activity.
People’s experience of using this service:
• People were protected from avoidable harm and abuse.
• People’s risks were assessed, and plans were in place to minimise the risks.
• The provider recruited staff safely.
• Staff were supported to carry out their role with training, supervision and appraisals.
• People were supported with their healthcare needs and their medicines were managed safely.
• The provider carried out an assessment of people’s care requirements before they began to use the service to ensure they could meet their needs.
• Relatives and other relevant professionals were involved in decisions about care.
• Staff understood how to meet people’s equality and diversity needs.
• People’s privacy and dignity was promoted, and they were encouraged to increase their level of independence.
• People received personalised care which included their preferences and choice of activities.
• People’s communication needs were met.
• Complaints were dealt with appropriately.
• People and staff were asked to provide feedback about the quality of the service.
• Quality checks were carried out to identify areas for improvement.
Rating at last inspection:
• Good (report published on 10/08/2016).
Why we inspected:
• This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up:
• We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.
• For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Footsteps Care Outreach Limited is a service providing respite support to young adults with a learning disability.
The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 were kept safe in the service and staff followed people’s risk assessments to ensure they were safe in the service and when out in the community .
Staff were knowledgeable in safeguarding procedures and told us they would report concerns to the registered manager or deputy manager. Staff said they would approach the regulator CQC if they wanted to whistleblow.
People’s medicines were managed safely and staff were trained in the safe management of medicines and controlled drugs. The deputy manager told us that staff had to demonstrate they could administer people’s medicines safely before working with people.
Staff were supported with a through induction and had to shadow senior staff before working with people at the service. Records showed that staff were offered mandatory training and specific training to give them the skills needed to support people in the service. Staff told us there were always opportunities to learn more and to keep their skills up to date.
Records showed that staff received supervision and an appraisal so they knew how they were performing and to discuss any issues with their work or future training needed.
Staff demonstrated they understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how to support people in making their own decisions. Staff told us they offered people choices of food and clothing to help them be involved in the decision making process.
A relative told us that staff were caring and took the time to know people. People’s privacy and dignity was respected.
People’s care plans were personalised and all aspects of care were documented which made the care personal to them. People’s preferences were recorded and staff told us in detail how they responded to people if they had a seizure which corresponded to the records we looked at.
Staff said the registered manager and deputy were approachable and gave positive feedback on the work they did for people.
Staff met with management regularly in team meetings and if staff were unable to attend information was shared with staff. Checks and audits were not recorded which meant they could not be verified as being done. We have recommended the service follow best practice when auditing.
The service encouraged people's independence and praised this to people and their relatives when progress was made.
Care plans at the service were detailed and met people's complex needs. Risk assessments were also very specific and protected people from being exposed to risks and gave staff clear guidelines on how to minimise risk.
Staff knew the people they cared for well and planned in advance for when they arrived. Staff advised they would have people's rooms and food shopping ready for their arrival.
People were protected from the risk of abuse and would escalate concerns to the registered manager or notify relatives. However staff had not completed recent safeguarding training. One relative said "staff will call me if they notice anything is not right."
Staff were skilled to look after the people in their care and had received relevant training to support this. There were always staff people knew who were available and we did not see any evidence of agency staff being used.
Quality of the service was checked through management and staff meetings. Feedback was obtained from relatives verbally when they called the service. One relative said "X likes it here and the staff are all really good there."