Adelaide Care Limited

Updated 19 January 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 16 and 17 October 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice because the location provides a personal care service to supported living services and we needed to be sure someone would be in. One inspector carried out this inspection.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at the evidence we already held about the service including the last inspection report and notifications the provider had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager and the quality assurance director. We reviewed four people’s care records including risk assessments and care plans and four staff records including recruitment, training and supervision. We also looked at records relating to how the service was managed including medicines, policies and procedures and quality assurance documentation.

After the inspection, we contacted placing authorities to obtain their views about the service. We also spoke to three care staff including a team leader, two relatives and four people using the service.

Updated 19 January 2018

This inspection took place on 16 and 17 October 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours' notice because the location provides a personal care service to supported living services and we needed to be sure someone would be in. One inspector carried out this inspection.

Adelaide Care provides supported living and personal care to adults with autism and learning disabilities living in their own homes. At the time of this inspection there were 36 people using the service.

At the last inspection on 23 and 24 July 2015 the service was given a Good rating overall and we found one breach of the regulations. This was because the provider had not arranged for applications to the Court of Protection as required by the Mental Capacity Act (2005) when people were having their liberty restricted. At this inspection we found significant improvements had been made. The provider had liaised with the different local authorities and appropriate applications had been made to the Court of Protection where people’s care and support may amount to their liberty being deprived.

There was a registered manager at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The provider had systems in place to ensure there were enough suitably experienced and qualified staff available to meet people’s needs. Staff were knowledgeable about reporting safeguarding concerns and understood the whistleblowing procedure. The provider reported accidents and incidents appropriately and used these as an opportunity for learning. People had risk assessments and management plans which included behaviour management and protection of finances. Medicines were managed safely by suitably trained and competent staff. People were protected from the risk of the spread of infection.

People and relatives thought staff provided an effective service. Staff had regular opportunities for learning and development. Staff confirmed they had regular support through supervisions and they found this useful. People were supported to prepare a choice of nutritional food that met their dietary requirements. Care plans included important health information and people had access to healthcare professionals as needed.

Staff were knowledgeable about people’s care needs and preferences. People and relatives thought staff were caring. Staff were aware of equality and diversity issues and providing an inclusive service. People were supported in a dignified manner and their privacy was respected. Staff were knowledgeable about maintaining people’s independence.

Care records were personalised and contained people’s preferences. Staff were knowledgeable about providing a personalised care service. People were able to access activities of their choice. Complaints were dealt with appropriately and people and relatives knew how to raise concerns. The provider used complaints and compliments to make improvements to the service.

People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the leadership in the service. The provider had a system of obtaining feedback from people through a survey in order to make improvements to the service. People also had regular meetings so they could contribute to the development of the service. Staff had regular meetings so they could be updated on changes within the service and policies and to encourage good working practices. The provider had quality assurance systems in place to identify areas for improvement.