Archived: Long Barn Supported Living

Long Barn is a supported living service for up to six people with a learning disability, autism and, communication needs. At the time of the inspection, there were five people living at the service. The service consisted of a main house where three people shared a kitchen and communal living area and a further two self-contained flats on site which the other two people lived in.

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

The provider’s governance system was not consistently effective and failed to identify shortfalls or recognise how improvements could be made. Best practice guidance such as National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) was not always followed or adhered too.

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.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support:

• Model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and independence

Staff were focussed on supporting people to be as independent as possible. People had individual goals they were working towards to increase their level of independence with everyday tasks. People were supported to communicate their views and to make choices and have control in their daily lives. Staff utilised a wide range of communication tools to ensure people’s voices and needs were heard, recognised and acted upon.

Right care:

• Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human rights

Staff knew people well and understood their needs. Care and support was person centred and reflective of the individual needs of people. Relatives praised the staff team and spoke highly of how staff enabled their loved one to live fulfilling and independent lives. People had developed positive and trusting relationships with staff.

Right culture:

• Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives

The culture of the service was open and inclusive. Staff were motivated and positive in their view of the service and described being well supported and having access to relevant training. Relatives told us their views were welcomed and considered. People were supported to have access to the local community and to follow their interests.

Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. Risk assessments had been carried out to identify the risks people faced. These included information about how to mitigate those risks. There were enough staff working at the service to meet people's needs and the provider had robust staff recruitment practices in place.

Staff understood how to support people in a way that promoted their privacy, independence and dignity. The service sought to meet people's needs in relation to equality and diversity. Staff spoke highly of the support they received from management and relatives praised the service. One relative told us, “The service is brilliant.”

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 under the previous provider was Good (report published 2 December 2016)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service

We have identified one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) 2014 in relation to good governance.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.