Marbleside Care

Updated 7 November 2020

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

This inspection was completed by two inspectors.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘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 the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was to check if any one had suspected or confirmed COVID 19 and arrange for information to be sent to us. We also needed to ensure people who wished to speak with us during the inspection were available.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection.

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 of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and the deputy manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision.

After the inspection

We spoke with the provider and three staff by telephone. We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We looked at staffing rotas, quality assurance checks, complaints, staff and service user meetings and training records.

Updated 7 November 2020

About the service

Marbleside Care is a supported living service for people with a learning disability. Some people lived in flats while others shared a house and amenities such as kitchens, bathrooms and lounges. People received care and support to help them live independently in the community. There were 12 people using the service at the time of our inspection.

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 expect health and social care providers to guarantee 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 guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. The management team had developed a culture centred around each person. Everyone was seen as an individual and their values and choices were respected. People were involved in all areas of their care and the service. Decisions about the service were made together by everyone.

During the pandemic restrictions, people had planned activities in their own home. Everyone had joined in and told us they had enjoyed themselves. People had been involved in recruiting staff and there were enough staff to support people when they wanted.

People had control over all areas of their life and were supported to achieve their goals and ambitions. They were supported to take managed risks when they wanted to. People were supported to remain comfortable in their own home at the end of their life.

Everyone knew how to protect themselves from COVID-19. Staff followed national guidance and people were supported to keep their homes clean.

People were confident to raise any concerns they had and these were addressed. People were supported to understand the risks of abuse and keep themselves safe. When concerns were raised the registered manager and staff took quick action to protect people. People’s medicines were managed safely.

People were asked for their views weekly and these were acted on the ensure people’s needs and wishes were always met. An effective quality assurance process was in place and any shortfalls were identified and addressed. The registered manager analysed why things had gone wrong and took action to stop them happening again. Staff were kept informed of any changes and were clear about their roles in the service.

The registered manager was part of local and national groups and kept up to date with changes in guidance and best practice. They used these to develop the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection (and update)

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 27 July 2019).

Why we inspected

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 24 and 25 June 2019. We found the provider had taken action to meet legal requirements and improve the service However, we needed to be assured that improvements made would be embedded and sustained.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Marbleside Care on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.