Updated 28 May 2025
New Villas office is a supported living service for people with autism and learning disabilities. People live in their own self-contained flats and are supported by staff onsite. This inspection was prompted by the age of the previous rating. We looked at all five key questions of Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. During our on-site inspection we spoke to staff and residents. Remotely we spoke to friends and relatives of residents as well as reviewing policies, procedures and audits.
Care staff knew people and their preferences well. People we spoke to and interactions we observed showed good working practices. Staff training schedules were in place and adhered to with staff we spoke to demonstrating up to date knowledge.
Although care plans were person centred, we found they were not always updated regularly and people told us they were not always involved in updated/reviewing their care. We found people’s feedback was not always acted on and records for complaints and incidents was inconsistent, making it difficult to track outcomes.
Information in keeping safe was communicated in accessible formats and discussed at resident and staff meetings. People were supported to access advocates were required. People were supported to make their own choices and decisions where appropriate, though there were limitations imposed. Though there was a general understanding of The Mental Capacity Act, there was some misunderstanding with regards to who can and cannot act on a person’s behalf, meaning the correct consent was not always sought. Regular resident and staff meetings were held were people shared their concerns and ideas openly, though outcomes were not always recorded clearly.
Not all of the properties were well suited to people’s needs with the environment at one address presenting closer to a care home than a supported living service, due to limitations in how freely people could come and go as well as the recoding of visitors to their own homes. There was a registered manager with oversight for service managers at each address, we did not see evidence of cohesive practice and procedure across all addresses.