Project Care

Updated 9 June 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and people are often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received since the provider registered the service with CQC. This included any notifications (events which happened in the service that the provider is required to tell us about). We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We visited and spoke with two people using the service, in their own homes, who were able to tell us about their experience of the care provided. We also had discussions with two relatives and visited the day centre which people attended daily.

We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager, the supported living coordinator and two support workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and one medication record. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We contacted one healthcare professional who was involved in the care of one person using the service for feedback.

Updated 9 June 2022

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Project Care is a domiciliary care service providing personal care for autistic people or people living with a learning disability in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were two people receiving support 24 hours a day.

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

Right Support

Staff supported people to have choice, control and independence over their lives. People received their care and support in a safe, clean, well equipped, well-furnished and well-maintained environment that met their needs. Each house reflected the persons interests and they had been supported to choose their furniture and colour schemes.

Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that achieved best possible health outcomes. Staff supported people to access health and social care support, which included a regular review of their prescribed medicines.

The service supported people to have maximum possible choice, control and independence. The service encouraged people to be involved fully in discussions about their care and support. People told us they always decided on their chosen activities and meals and how they wanted their care to be delivered. People were supported by staff to pursue their interests and to achieve their aspirations and goals. For example, one person was being supported to arrange a holiday.

Right Care

People’s dignity and human rights were promoted, and people were encouraged to make decisions about their day to day routines. People received kind and compassionate care and staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to people’s individual needs

Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and potential harm. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and knew how to report any concerns. There were sufficient numbers of staff who were appropriately skilled to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them as staff supported them consistently and knew them well. People received care that focused on their quality of life and followed best practice, with input from a range of health and social care professionals.

Staff, relatives and people worked together to assess risks people might face. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks.

Right Culture

Some areas of the providers governance systems needed to be strengthened. Staff supervision and staff meetings were not in place and used to develop and motivate staff, review their practice or behaviours, and focus on professional development. However, the registered manager showed us an action plan that had identified this as an area for development with a timescale for completion.

People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff team. People appeared relaxed within their home and in the presence of staff. We observed them being supported to make decisions about their day that included meals, activities and health needs. Staff were respectful of people and their homes and always asked permission before they used the bathroom or had a glass of water.

Relatives told us they were fully involved in their family members care and support and they spoke of the open culture, and regular contact and visits to see their family members.

Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. People and those important to them, were involved in planning their care. The service evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving the person, their families and other professionals as appropriate.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 5 June 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture.

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.