Background to this inspection
Updated
17 December 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
One inspector carried out the inspection.
Service and service type
This service provided care and support to people living in one ‘supported living’ setting, 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 because some of the people using it could not consent to a home visit from an inspector. This meant that we had to arrange for a ‘best interests’ decision about this. Also, this was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 19 October 2021 and ended on 17 November 2021. We visited the supported living location on 21 October 2021. The registered manager was not available during this visit, so we spoke with them at a later date and requested additional information.
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 and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
The inspection
We visited the person receiving support from the service and met with them and the two staff supporting them. During this visit we reviewed care and medicine records relating to the support the person received.
After this visit we spoke with the person’s representative and had email contact with two care staff. We received feedback from a professional who had been involved with the service.
During the registered managers absence, we had contact with the area manager. On their return we had a video call to continue the inspection and the registered manager sent us additional evidence relating to the management of the service.
Updated
17 December 2021
About the service
Essex Community Support is registered to provide personal care to people with a learning disability, physical disability and autistic people. The service has been recently set up to provide support to people living in supported living. At the time of the inspection, the service was providing personal care to one person living in a purpose-built development of seven flats in Chelmsford.
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
The registered manager promoted a culture where people were at the centre of all that happened. The service was well-run with processes in place to promote safety and ensure people received consistent good quality care. The provider supported the registered manager to develop the service in line with good practice guidance.
There was a focus on enabling people to make decisions about how to minimise risk. Staff supported people safely with their medicines. There were enough safely recruited staff to provide a flexible service. The provider followed national guidance on managing the risks from COVID-19.
Staff had the necessary skills to meet people’s individual needs. They were well supported in their role. Guidance and training were of a good quality. Staff worked well with external agencies to promote people’s health and wellbeing.
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.
Staff were kind and treated people with dignity. They knew people well and developed respectful relationships with them.
Support had been developed flexibly to meet people’s needs in a personalised way. Staff adjusted their support when people’s needs changed. The provider ensured people received information in a manner they could understand. People and their representatives felt able to complain and be confident they would be listened to.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and autistic people.
The service was able to demonstrate that the service had been set up in line with the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Right support:
• The model of care and setting had been designed to maximise people’s choice, control and independence. There was an emphasis on promoting inclusion into the local community.
Right care:
• Staff were supported to provide care which was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights.
Right culture:
• The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff created a culture focused on enabling people to lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection of a newly registered service.
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.