We inspected this service on 10 January 2018 and the inspection was announced. This meant the provider and staff knew we would be visiting the service’s office before we arrived. At our previous inspection in November 2015, the service was meeting the regulations that we checked and received an overall rating of Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.
Mencap South Notts Services provides support to adults with a learning disability and associated conditions. Some people lived in supported living houses which were owned and maintained by another provider and people that lived in these properties had a tenancy agreement with this provider. Other people lived in their own homes within the community. There were 21 people receiving personal care support from Mencap South Notts Services at the time of the inspection.
There was a registered manager in post. 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 registered manager oversaw the running of the full service and was supported by three service managers and three assistant service managers.
People were supported to understand how to keep safe and staff were clear on their role on protecting people from the risk of harm. Staff understood their responsibilities to raise concerns and record safety incidents. These were reviewed and analysed to ensure actions could be taken to reduce risks and promote a safe environment. Individual risks to people were identified and people were supported to take reasonable risks to promote independent living. Environmental risks within people’s homes were also undertaken.
People were protected against the risk of abuse, as checks were made to confirm staff were of good character before they commenced employment. The numbers and skill mix of staff ensured people’s needs were met. Medicines were managed safely and people were supported as needed to take their medicine as prescribed.
People were consulted regarding their preferences and interests and these were incorporated into their support plan to ensure they were supported to lead the life they wanted to. 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 supported this practice. People were supported to be as independent as they could be and assistive technology and accessible information was in place to support people in achieving this. The staff team knew people well and were provided with the right training and support to enable them to promote people’s independence and autonomy.