13 September 2022
During a routine inspection
About the service
Upper Selsdon Road is a supported living service providing personal care and support to up to 9 people with learning disabilities and/or autistic people.
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
Right Support
The service did not always sufficiently assess all people and staff for the risk of COVID-19 infection. This could put some people and staff at an increased risk of potential harm. We have made a recommendation about preventing and controlling infections. The service had not always worked in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This meant the provider had not always supported people to make decisions following best practice in decision-making.
The service supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence. Staff focused on people's strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life. Staff supported people to pursue their interests and achieve their aspirations and goals.
The service worked with people to plan for when they experienced periods of distress.
The service gave people care and support in a clean environment. People had a choice about their living environment and were able to personalise their rooms. People benefitted from an interactive and stimulating environment.
The service made reasonable adjustments for people so they could be fully involved in discussions about how they received support, including support to travel wherever they needed to go. Staff supported people to take part in activities and pursue their interests and to stay in touch with people important to them.
Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community. Staff communicated with people in ways that met their needs. Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that achieved the best possible health outcome. Staff supported people to play an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing.
Right Care
Staff promoted equality and diversity in their support for people. They understood people's cultural needs and provided culturally appropriate care. People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs. The service worked well with other agencies to do so.
People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff understood their individual communication needs. People who had individual ways of communicating could interact comfortably with staff and others involved in their care and support because the staff had the necessary skills to understand them.
People's care and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life. People received care that supported their needs and aspirations and was focused on their quality of life.
People could take part in activities and pursue interests that were tailored to them. Staff and people cooperated to assess risks people might face. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks.
Right Culture
The provider had not always sufficiently assessed, monitored and improved the quality of services provided. This meant the provided had not always identified the concerns we found and where they had identified concerns, action to address these had not always been taken in a timely manner. Staff training was not up to date. Some training for staff was overdue and the provider had not always taken action in a timely manner when training requirements were not met. Some relatives we spoke with felt the provider had not sufficiently involved them in the care of their loved ones. We have made a recommendation about engaging and involving people's families in their care and support.
People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff.
People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing.
Staff placed people's wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. People were involved in planning their care. Staff valued and acted upon people's views.
People's quality of life was enhanced by the service's culture of inclusivity and empowerment. Staff ensured risks of a closed culture were minimised so that people received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of right support, right care, right culture.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.