Archived: Your Life Supported Living Services

Your Life Supported Living Services is a supported living service providing personal care to one person at the time of the inspection.

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

People’s body language and facial expressions indicated they were relaxed and at ease in their home. People were supported by a small team of consistent staff, who knew them well. This was particularly important to autistic people who became anxious if there were unplanned changes to their daily routines. People benefitted from being supported by staff who knew how to communicate effectively with them.

Governance processes were not always effective in monitoring the quality of care. Some of people’s key records with regards to their health and safety were not up to date. None of the providers policies had been reviewed since 2020. There had not been a registered manager at the service for 19 months. The registration process ensures managers have the knowledge, skills and experience to manage a care service. The service was being managed jointly by a part-time manager and the provider.

Staff had received training in supporting people with disabilities and understood how to reduce people’s anxieties. People were being supported to access the health care services they required.

People’s activities had reduced due to the pandemic and these were being re-introduced gradually. Staff were looking into activities to extend people’s social network.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

The service was not able to demonstrate how they were meeting some of the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture (RSRCRC).

Right support: Staff had not supported people to make decisions following best practice in decision-making. Decision making processes did not include key information about how people had been involved in making decisions. People’s goals and aspirations were understood by staff, but these had yet to be recorded so progress towards them could be monitored. People were supported by staff to pursue their interests. People’s days were structured around their needs. Staff communicated with people in ways they understood. People had decorated their rooms according to their personal taste.

Right care: People received kind and compassionate care and from staff who respected their dignity. People could communicate with staff because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. There were enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

Right culture: People’s wishes, needs and rights were not always put at the heart of the service as the provider had situated their main office in people’s homes. The model of supported living is that people’s rather than the provider’s concerns come first. Staff turnover was very low, which supported people to receive consistent care from staff who knew them well.

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 20 December 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture. This is the service’s first inspection since registering with the Care Quality Commission.