Inspiring Aspirations Plus

Updated 11 October 2022

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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by an inspector.

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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. They were also the provider. This meant they were legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. The provider had day to day oversight of the service and was supported by a manager and an office team.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 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 12 September 2022 when we gave notice and ended on 27 September 2022. We visited the location’s office and two people’s homes on 14 September 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service and 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 (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service; visiting two people in their own homes and one person in the community hub affiliated with the service about their experience of Inspiring Aspirations Plus. We got feedback from two relatives.

We spoke with the provider, a manager, two team leaders, a well-being and personal development officer and five support staff. We received electronic feedback from nine members of staff and five professionals involved with the service.

We reviewed a range of care records for three people. Where applicable this included care and support plans, risk assessments, healthcare information, medication records and positive behaviour support plans. We reviewed the recruitment records for three staff members. We also viewed some of the provider’s policies and procedures, training data, quality assurance records, management monitoring and oversight records.

Updated 11 October 2022

About the service

Inspiring Aspirations Plus is a supported living service, providing care and support to autistic people and/or people with a learning disability living in their own homes. A supported living service is where people receive personal care and support to enable them to live as independently as possible.

At the time of our inspection Inspiring Aspirations Plus was providing a supported living service to four people. All four people lived in their own homes with no shared facilities and received 24- hour care and support.

CQC only inspects where people receive a regulated activity of 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 care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked only at people’s personal care and support.

Affiliated with the service was a community hub located near the office premises. This was known as the ‘New Skills Centre’ and provided a range of services to people. This included tailored activities, access to resources and assistance with daily living skills. We looked at this as part of the inspection.

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.

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

The service demonstrated how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right Support

We observed people were comfortable in the company of the staff who supported them; interactions were positive and meaningful. Staff understood how best to communicate with people, using body language, sounds and pictures to aid understanding where required. People were assisted by staff to manage their own health care needs. Staff worked proactively with other health and social care professionals to support people to achieve good outcomes and enjoy a person-centred quality of life.

People were encouraged and supported to be independent and to engage in tailored activities and pursue interests that were important to them. Staff spoke knowledgeably about how they ensured people received care that met their diverse needs, including protected characteristics. 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.

Right Care

People received responsive, person-centred care that met their individual needs. Staff observed people's privacy, dignity and confidentiality and treated them with respect. There were enough suitably trained, recruited and supervised staff to meet people’s needs. Risks to people were regularly monitored and assessed and adapted where needed. Staff managed people’s nutrition and hydration risks well, supporting them to choose healthy and balanced diets taking into consideration their likes, dislikes and preferences. Trained staff safely administered medicines to people.

Right Culture:

A person-centred and inclusive culture was evident in the service. Feedback from people, relatives and staff was actively sought and acted on. Staff worked well with each other and morale was good. Staff felt recognised and valued by the provider and management team. Complaints, concerns, accidents, incidents and safeguarding issues were appropriately reported, recorded and investigated. This included lessons learnt to mitigate risk and prevent reoccurrence. Effective governance frameworks were in place to underpin continual development of the service and ensure people received good quality of care.

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 27 May 2021 and this is the first inspection.

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.