Background to this inspection
Updated
23 May 2023
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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
One inspector and one Expert by Experience carried out the inspection. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in ‘supported living’ settings, 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.
This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.
At the time of our inspection the service did not have a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 2 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.
Inspection activity started on 24 April 2023 and ended on 26 April 2023. We visited the service on 24 April 2023.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We reviewed the Provider Information Return (PIR). A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 7 people who used the service. We observed staff interacting with people. We spoke with the area manager, 2 other managers and 4 support staff. We contacted 12 more staff via email and telephone, and 4 health and social care professionals via email.
We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care and support records and medication records. We looked at 2 staff files. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including auditing, training data, photographs, surveys, analysis, policies and procedures were reviewed.
Updated
23 May 2023
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.
About the service
Gateshead Supported Living 1 and 2 is a ‘supported living’ service providing personal care to people with a learning disability and/or autism living in 8 homes. The service was supporting 33 people with personal care at the time of our inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support
¿ People were comfortable in their own homes and able to do what they wanted to do, when they wanted. They were encouraged to get back to the hobbies and interests they had enjoyed pre-pandemic. Staff helped people enjoy a good quality of life through helping them access a range of healthcare professionals.
¿ Staff advocated for people and ensured changing needs were flagged with internal and external specialists.
¿ People experienced good health and wellbeing outcomes. Leaders were aware of the principles of Stopping the Over-Medication of People living with Autism and/or a Learning Disability (STOMP) and other good practice.
Right Care
¿ Staff cared about people receiving high quality care. They had received mandatory training, although some was in need of refreshing in line with the provider’s policies. They helped people live the life they wanted. Staff understood people’s differing needs and independence.
¿ People got on well with each other, and staff. People had strong bonds with people they lived with and were more confident in accessing the community since the pandemic.
¿ Staff communicated well with people.
¿ Support plans and risk assessments needed some work to ensure they remained accessible, person centred and focussed on the things people wanted to achieve. We have made a recommendation about this.
¿ Staff worked well with external professionals to keep people safe. They followed advice and were proactive in raising concerns or changes.
Right culture
¿ The culture of the service was changing, with new registered managers planned and some experienced staff moving roles. The area manager acknowledged some difficulties in recruiting and retraining staff to ensure that people received a continuity of care. Staff knew their roles well but documentation was not always up to date.
¿ People and those who knew them best were involved in decisions about their care.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.