Independent Supported Living and Disabilities Ltd Also known as ISLAD

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. The registered manager explained to us how they reviewed all incidents, accidents and concerns and ensured actions were taken to improve people’s safety and experiences of care. A staff member told us, “Whenever you write an incident report, the registered manager will call you for reflection to consider your opinion [about what happened and why] and for debrief.” Lessons learnt in a wider service were discussed in staff meetings and addressed in the reviews of people’s care.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. They made sure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services. Staff worked well with other health and social care professionals, for example, when people needed to access specialist treatment. People’s relatives confirmed staff advocated and supported people to ensure joined-up care and to remove any barriers and minimise difficulties people could have experienced in accessing healthcare when needed.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. Staff concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. The provider shared concerns quickly and appropriately. We observed people behaved in a comfortable and open way in the company of staff supporting them. People’s relatives told us they felt people were safe with staff and had no safeguarding concerns about the support provided to their loved ones. The registered manager was knowledgeable around safeguarding systems and process. Staff could explain to us how they would recognise and report any concerns without delay to the management, at the same time ensuring appropriate medical or other support was sought in a timely way to protect people.

The provider worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them. People and their relatives told us staff supported them well. People’s relatives commented staff were able to help people to remain safe and knew when people were unwell or required additional support. Staff we spoke with knew people well and confirmed they had ongoing access to people’s individual support plans and risk assessments and any changes in people’s needs were clearly communicated with them, so they could provide safe and effective care. People’s support plans included information about their individual risks and support they required. For example, around personal care and day-to-day living risks, their specific health needs, what could make them upset or frustrated and how staff were to support them in those situations.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They escalated any risks and people’s individual issues around maintenance of their homes to their landlord. People’s relatives told us staff supported people to maintain their homes by communicating with the landlord, supporting with household chores and cleaning. Staff explained to us how they ensured any fire safety, health and safety or hygiene risks were monitored and how they supported people to maintain their homes so they were safe and comfortable. The management team helped people to carry out regular checks of safety of their homes and communicated regularly with their landlord to escalate any concerns and improvement needs.

The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs. People told us they could access support when needed and were accompanied to go out and to do things they liked. The management team monitored staffing levels in the service to ensure all people received the support they required and could enjoy things they liked to do. Staff were allocated to support individual people with day-to-day living tasks and their chosen outings and activities, and this was monitored by senior staff on duty. Staff told us they felt supported in their roles and were provided with appropriate training and supervisions, including face to face and online training courses, direct observation of practice by senior staff and effective induction for new staff. A staff member said, “Induction and training was very good. Most of the training was centred around learning disability and mental health support needs [which was relevant to individual people’s needs].” Staff explained they were required to work with more experienced team members at first, to read people’s individual support plans and to get to know them, and to confirm they knew service policies and procedures. Staff told us this worked well and prepared them to be able to support people effectively. Staff training records were in place and monitored by the management.

The provider assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly. People and people’s relatives told us they were happy with the level of cleanliness and hygiene staff helped them to maintain in their homes. A relative told us, “[Person’s] room is lovely, always nice and clean.” Staff explained to us how they followed good infection prevention and control practice when supporting people and confirmed they had appropriate training and access to personal protective equipment. The registered manager completed regular audits of infection prevention and control systems and processes in the service. Where maintenance issues caused an infection prevention and control concern, this was reported to the landlord for resolution and followed up.

People received safe support with their medicines provided by trained and competency assessed staff. People’s relatives told us staff supported their loved ones well around any treatment needs and with their medicines. Staff completed medicines administration records when supporting people. People’s medicines were safely stored in their individual bedrooms. People’s care plans included information around their medicines. Senior staff completed regular checks and audits of people’s medicines to ensure people received them safely and as prescribed. People were supported to access healthcare services to review their medicines when needed.