Updated 30 April 2019
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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team: Two inspectors completed this inspection.
Service and service type: This service provides care and support to twenty one people living in eight ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently 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 has been developed and designed in line with the principles that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service received planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
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 4 days’ notice of the inspection site visit so that the provider could ask for people’s consent for us to visit them in their homes.
What we did: We used information we held about the home which included notifications that they sent us to plan this inspection. We also used the completed Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. However, the provider had completed this eleven months previously and we therefore gave opportunities for them to update us throughout the inspection.
We used a range of different methods to help us understand people’s experiences. We spoke with seven people who lived at the home about the support they received. We spoke with the registered manager, the quality director, the provider, one senior care staff, and two care staff. We reviewed care plans for two people to check they were accurate and up to date. We also looked at medicines administration records and reviewed systems the provider had in place to ensure the quality of the service was continuously monitored and reviewed to drive improvement. These included accidents and incidents analysis, meetings minutes and quality audits.