Archived: Diverse Abilities Plus - Supported Living

Updated 10 November 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 1 and 5 October 2019 and was announced. We gave the service two days’ notice of the inspection visit because the location provides a supported living care service. We needed to be sure that the staff we needed to speak with would be in. The inspection was conducted by one inspector and the first day and one inspector and a pharmacy inspector on the second day. This included visiting people in their own homes.

We visited six different supported living services. We spoke with and met 10 people in their own homes. We spoke with nine staff, three deputy managers and the registered manager. Three staff provided feedback via our website.

Some of the people we met had complex ways of communicating and were not able to tell us their experiences of the service. All of the people we visited had 24 hour personal care and support packages from Diverse Abilities Plus supported living service. We observed the way staff supported people in their homes.

We spoke with three relatives of people who use the service and received email feedback from three relatives via our website and the service.

We looked at four people’s care and support records and records about how the service was managed. This included four staffing recruitment records, audits, meeting minutes and quality assurance records. The registered and deputy managers sent us information about staff training, medicines policies, staff medicines competencies and examples of the positive impact the service has had on people.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also looked at the information that they had notified us about. We also contacted commissioners and health and social care professionals who work with people using the service to obtain their views. We only received feedback from the service’s local authority commissioner.

Updated 10 November 2018

Diverse Abilities Plus provides care and support to 37 people with a learning an or physical disabilities living in 22 ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live in their own home 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 care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

At our last inspection in March 2016 we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People were supported by staff who understood the risks they faced and how to support them to reduce these. Staff understood how to identify and report abuse and were confident in their role as advocates for people when this was appropriate. Staff supported people to take medicines safely.

People were supported by skilled and caring staff who worked to ensure they lived their life the way they chose. Communication styles and methods were considered and staff supported people to understand the choices available to them.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and shared lives carers supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff supported people to understand the choices available to them in ways they could easily understand. People led full and active lives in their homes and in the community.

People, relatives and professionals told us they could raise any concerns and these were addressed appropriately.

The service was well-led and there were effective quality assurance systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service people received.

Further information is in the detailed findings below