Queens Supported Living

This inspection took place on 20 October 2015 and was announced.

Creative Care is registered to provide personal care and support for people. At the time of our inspection there were five people using the service who resided within 2 individual properties referred to as ‘supported living’.

Creative Care had a registered manager in post. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff were confident that if they had any concerns about people’s safety, health or welfare then they would know what action to take, which would include reporting their concerns to the provider, management team or to relevant external agencies.

Potential risks to people within their home and the wider community have been assessed and measures put into place to minimise risk to the person and the staff providing support. Risk assessments supported people’s safety, without compromising their independence and right to make choices and decisions about their daily lives. People’s choices and decisions were recorded within their care records.

There were sufficient numbers of staff employed who had undergone a robust recruitment process and had received training to enable them to meet people’s needs in a timely manner.

People were prompted to take their medication or had their medication administered by staff where their plan of care had identified that the person required support. We found people’s medicines were managed well.

Staff told us that they were regularly supervised and had their work appraised, which meant they had the opportunity to speak with the registered manager about the effectiveness of their work and discuss how improvements could be made for the benefit of those using the service, through training and their on-gong development. Staff told us that staff meetings were held and good communication with the staff team meant they were able to provide effective care to people.

People’s plans of care reflected the support they required and the areas of their lives where support was not required, this ensured people received effective care which recognised and promoted their independence.

Plans of care identified if the person required support in order that they maintained a balanced diet. People were supported with grocery shopping, meal preparation and cooking. Where full support was required this was provided by staff.

People’s health and welfare needs were met, which included providing support by liaising with health and social care professionals, where this was an identified need.

People were supported by a small group of staff which provided people with consistency and enabled them to develop positive relationships built on trust and familiarity. In some instances people had been involved in the recruitment of staff and had chosen who they wanted to provide their care.

Information had been made available on the range of services Creative Care provided and how to raise concerns in an ‘easy read format’, this helped to promote people’s understanding and promote their rights and choices.

People’s needs had been assessed by a representative of the local authority, which identified the support people required and the hours over which the support was to be provided. We found however that some assessments had been reviewed which had reduced the number of hours and level of support required. The revised assessments did not in all instances provide clear information as to the current level of support the person required. This meant that people were in some instances receiving support that the provider was not commissioned to provide, which meant they received support above and beyond their assessed need.

People’s plans of care were written from their perspective and provided staff with information as to the care and support they required, which included support with personal care, management of household chores and their daily lives, such as managing health and social care appointments. In addition people’s plans of care reflected accessing the wider community for activities and recreation.

People had the opportunity to comment on the service they received and to make decisions about their lives. Staff had confidence that they could speak with the registered manager and that any issues would be addressed.

A social care professional advised us that in their view the service was very good and that they found the registered manager and staff to be knowledgeable and that they provided person centred care to those using the service.