Archived: Optimum Supported Housing

Optimum Supported Housing is a supported living service provided in three separate houses and a domiciliary care service. At the time of the inspection nine people were being supported, with three people receiving personal care in two supported living houses

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.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

A relative told us, “I can’t say anything negative about the [service] they are fantastic with my [relative].”

Feedback from health and social care professionals was positive about the service. One professional told us, “The service is well managed because people’s needs are well managed and there have been consistency with staffing levels.”

People’s homes were spacious, well-kept and personalised. People had verbal communication difficulties and interactions with staff were observed. Staff were patient, courteous and treated people with dignity and respect. People engaged well with staff and they used personalised communication tools to empower people to make their own decisions.

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.

There were adequate levels of staff to provide the support required to people living in the supported living settings where the regulated activity was being provided. Staff were supported by line managers and peers. Staff had completed all necessary training needed to support people safely.

People’s needs were assessed before they moved to the service and they were offered ‘trial stay overs’ to encourage and assist people to make their own choice about living there. People were supported to achieve personal goals.

Medicines were stored correctly, and people had received their medicines on time and as prescribed.

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 service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. The service was empowering people to reach their potential whilst maximising independence. People's houses were treated as their home with staff minimising prescriptive care and support. People were at the centre of all decisions and involved in their care and support.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 24 October 2018) and there was a breach of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulation.

Why we inspected

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 9th April 2019. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve Regulation 17 (Good Governance).

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Optimum Supported Housing on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.

Optimum Supported Housing is a supported living service and a domiciliary care service. At the time if the inspection two people were receiving a supported living service who all lived together in one house. The house was a three-bedroom house based in a residential area near Rainham town centre. One person was receiving domiciliary care support. Domiciliary care services provide personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. Optimum Supported Housing provides a service to, younger adults with learning disabilities.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

People’s experience of using this service:

The people we spoke to who used the service told us that they were happy with the care provided and feedback from health and social care professionals was positive about the service provided.

However, documentation was poor in some areas in that complaints were not always recorded, risk assessments were not always consistent and there was a lack of documented information for staff on how to support people meaning that the service relied upon staff knowing people well. The provider had not ensured that they had collected references for new staff in line with their own policy when recruiting new staff and checks on the quality of the service had not identified this as a concern. Risks from the environment had not always been identified and mitigated.

Medicines were stored appropriately, and people received their medicines on time and as prescribed. There was enough staff to support people safely. Staff were appropriately managed and supported however staff had not completed some areas of training needed such as supporting people with behaviour that challenged.

Staff were able to explain how to protect people from abuse and knew how to report concerns. People were supported to keep their home clean and were protected from the risk of infection. People’s needs were assessed before they started with the service and this information was used to develop their support plan.

People were offered choices and staff understood how people needed to be supported to make decisions. People were encouraged to express their views and be involved in decisions. The staff we spoke to knew people well, people were treated with respect and provided with emotional support where this was needed. People had been supported to achieve their goals and there was evidence of positive outcomes for people. For example, people had increased their independence.

People were supported to eat and drink safely and were involved in shopping and the preparation of their own meals where appropriate. People were encouraged to maintain their health and exercise. When people were unwell their health was monitored, and they had access healthcare services when this was needed.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support in the following ways: people's support focused on increasing their independence and enabling them to make choices and participate in activities of daily living. The staff we spoke to were positive about the support they received and the management of the service. The people we spoke to were positive about the support we received.

Rating at last inspection:

This is the first inspection of this service.

Why we inspected:

This inspection was a scheduled inspection based on when the service registered.

Follow up:

We will ask the provider to send us and action plan detailing how they plan to make improvements. We will visit the service again in the future to check if the service has improved and if there are any other changes to the quality of the service.