The Wilberforce Trust

Updated 25 August 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.

We gave the provider five days’ notice of the inspection visit because the location provides supportive living services to nine homes for adults who are often out during the day. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

Inspection site visit activity started on 14 June 2018 and ended on 21 June 2018. We observed interactions with people and spoke with five support workers and four people using the service. Following the visit, we spoke with two relatives of people using the service. We looked at four support plans and daily monitoring records, three support worker files, which included training, supervision and competency checks and a selection of documentation used to monitor the quality of the service. During the inspection we visited the main office and three of the supported living houses. We spoke with the chief executive, manager, compliance manager, senior rota and training officer, and the human resource manager.

The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors for the first visit and one adult social care inspector on the second day.

Before the inspection we reviewed information, we held about the provider, including the provider's 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

We looked at statutory notifications that the provider had sent to the Care Quality Commission [CQC]. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We also contacted Healthwatch and the local authorities that commission services from the provider to gain their views about the service. We used this information to help inform our inspection planning.

Updated 25 August 2018

This service provides supportive living and provides personal care to people living in their own houses. It provides a service to disabled adults with sight and hearing impairments, along with other disabilities. This service provides care and support to 33 people living in nine 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.

At our last inspection we rated the service as good overall with a breach of Regulation 17. The provider did not have robust systems in place for monitoring the quality of the service. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good. The provider had improved systems to monitor, assess and improve the quality of the service.

The service had recently appointed a new manager, who had been there ten weeks and was currently going through the application process with the Care Quality Commission to become the registered manager of 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.

Systems and processes were in place to mitigate risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of the people who used the service. Staff understood their responsibilities and completed regular monitoring and checks related to maintaining the health and safety of the environment for the people using the service. Staff had completed safeguarding training and were able to tell us the action they would take if they suspected abuse was taking place. Policies and procedures informed staff of how to raise concerns.

People who were able were fully involved in reviewing their care needs and support. Staff received regular training, appraisals and competency checks to keep their knowledge and understanding of people’s needs up to date. Staff felt supported and received regular supervision meetings. Staff demonstrated good understanding of people’s needs and were confident within their individual roles. People told us staff were caring and how their wellbeing had improved from the support they have received.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Detailed care plans contained person-centred information and was updated and reviewed on a regular basis. We saw good interactions from staff. Person centred communication methods were used to support people with their everyday needs.

People were supported to plan and maintain a healthy diet.

A new electronic system was being implemented to make care plan information more accessible for people. Daily monitoring of people’s health needs was recorded in detail. Support and advice was sought from health professionals promptly when this external input into people’s care was needed.

The provider had a manager in place who had been working at the service for ten weeks. The provider and management team had a clear vision of improving the lives of people with sensory impairments and learning disabilities. Staff enjoyed working in the service and said, “We are like family, I really enjoy coming to work. It is not like a job.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.