Deafblind UK

Updated 1 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

The inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

Deafblind UK provides care and support to people living in their own homes 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 the service over 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to ensure we had people’s permission to visit them in their own home and to arrange support from the registered manager to assist us to communicate with people about their experience of the care and support they received.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We reviewed information we requested from the provider.

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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with three staff and the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. 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 registered manager to validate evidence we found.

Updated 1 July 2021

About the service

Deafblind UK is a supported living care service. Care is provided to adults in their own flats. At the time of our inspection there were six people receiving personal care.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

We have made a recommendation to talk with people about their end of life wishes.

The provider had policies and procedures to ensure people were kept safe. The registered manager understood safeguarding and the importance of reporting any concerns.

Quality assurance audits were completed. Where issues were identified these were reviewed and action plans completed to ensure improvements were made. The provider had systems in place to respond to complaints and the registered manager ensured people felt they could raise any concerns.

People told us they felt safe and were happy with the care and support they received. People’s care and support plans contained clear guidance for staff. Care plans included appropriate risk assessments that were reviewed regularly and when required.

People had established good relationships with staff and were involved with discussions about the care and support they wanted. People’s cultural needs were respected, and staff communicated in many forms that included easy read, sign language and braille.

Staff received appropriate training that included areas such as infection control and sign language. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and understood their roles and responsibilities.

Why we inspected

This service was registered with us on 27/09/2019 and this is the first inspection.

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.