We visited the agency premises on 26 January 2011, visited and spoke with one person who uses the services through their support worker in their house. We also visited an activity centre, spoke to one person and their support worker and observed fifteen other people participating in various activities.People that we spoke to told us that were very happy with the care and support they were receiving. They said that staff were very respectful and treated them with dignity.
One person told us that staff would ask for their permission before giving information to anyone and that they had the choice to accept or not. One person told us that staff gave them all information before they received any treatment. The individual told us that the doctor arranged it if they had to go to the hospital for treatment. We observed that people who use services that we met looked happy and content.
One individual told us that they knew about their support plan and that they were involved with developing it. We observed staff interacting with people who use services in a respectful and dignified manner in the activity centre that we visited.
We saw that people were participating in activities of their choice with support from staff. People we spoke to told us that they were enjoying their activities.
People told us that they had a choice of what to eat and were supported to prepare their meals. One person told us that staff supported them to do their shopping on Saturdays and that included food.
One person told us that they were supported to attend hospital appointments and that they were registered with doctor's surgery. We met fifteen people at the activity centre. We were unable to gather their views verbally about their experiences due to their complex needs. One person responded in the affirmative when we asked if the agency consulted them before their information was shared with anybody outside the agency.
People we spoke to told us that staff were good and that they felt safe in their houses. The told us that they would talk to their key worker if they were not happy. One person stated "If I am angry I will just walk away and come back when I feel better" We observed that people who use services looked clean and well and cared for. We observed that the toilet and bathroom area of the house we visited was very clean with a good supply of tissues and hand towels. We observed a carer supporting an individual to wash their hands after using the toilet. People told us that they were supported to take their medication and on time. They said that their medication was kept safe.
We visited one person who uses services in their own house. We saw that the person had difficulty in communication however, the staff member supporting the person had a great understanding of the person and was able to interpret the responses to the questions that we asked them. The person told us that they were happy living and sharing their house with another person. We observed the staff member locking the door with the person and handing the keys over to the individual before leaving the house. This was an indication that people who use services were supported to be independent and had control over their own affairs.