Background to this inspection
Updated
17 July 2021
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.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in two ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.
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 a short period notice of the inspection prior to entering the building, this was to help the service and us manage any risks associated with COVID-19.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority.
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with one person who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager, the service manager and two support workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. We looked at two 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 provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.
Updated
17 July 2021
About the service
Lifeways SIL (Central) is a supported living service providing personal care and support to older and younger adults with mental health support needs. There were 3 people receiving regulated activity at the time of the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were protected from the risk of abuse.
Medicines were managed safely. People were encouraged to manage their own medicines as much as possible to promote independence.
People were protected from the risk of infection.
Risks were assessed and measures were in place to mitigate risk. People were well supported with taking positive risk and were encouraged to be as independent as possible in managing their own risks.
There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. Staff received regular training, supervision and support to ensure people’s needs were met.
Accidents and incidents were recorded and monitored by the management team. Lessons were learned when things went wrong.
People's needs were assessed prior to admission to the service and there was a process in place to ensure a smooth transition.
People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet.
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.
The service worked in partnership with health care professionals. People were accessing health care services as and when needed.
People were involved in the planning of their care and regular reviews. Care plans detailed people’s likes, dislikes, choices, decisions and communication needs. Systems were in place to support effective communication.
Complaints were recorded and managed in line with the providers policy and procedure.
People had developed good relationships with the staff and management team and staff respected people’s privacy and dignity.
The registered manager and provider maintained effective oversight of the safety and quality of the service and worked in partnership with other professionals to ensure people’s needs were met.
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 29/8/2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about people’s needs not being met. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led sections of this full report.
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.