Wordsley Housing and Independent Living Services

Updated 5 June 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:

The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

Service and service type:

Wordsley Housing and Independent Living Services provide support living and domiciliary care to people who have mental health needs. The service provides personal care to people living in their own houses, flats and rooms.

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:

The inspection was unannounced.

Inspection site visit activity started on 2 May 2019 and ended on 8 May 2019. Activities included meeting and speaking with people who used the service, their relatives and other professionals, speaking with staff and reviewing records and documents.

What we did:

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service and the service provider. The registered provider had 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 notifications we had received for this service. Notifications are information about

important events the service is legally obliged to send us within required timescales. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection, we looked at the care records of four people who use the service and four people’s medicine records.

We reviewed four staff files. These contained information about recruitment, training, induction and supervision. We also looked at records related to the management of the service. These included checks and audits, meeting minutes and health and safety documents. We reviewed policies and procedures including safeguarding, whistleblowing, complaints, mental capacity, recruitment and medicines. Some information was sent to us after the inspection. We considered all this information to help us to make a judgement about the service.

During the inspection we spoke with six people who lived at the service. Some people were unable or chose not to tell us about their experiences. We used observation to help us understand people’s experience.

We spoke with the relatives or friends of six people who lived at the service. We also spoke with four members of staff and the registered manager. After the inspection, we contacted other professionals who worked with the service for feedback.

Updated 5 June 2019

About the service:

Wordsley Housing and Independent Living Services provide care and support to people with mental health needs in ‘supported living’ settings. People received personal care and support to live in shared flats and houses as independently as possible.

In ‘supported living’ settings, people's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's personal care and support.

At the time of the inspection, Wordsley Housing and Independent Living Services supported 25 people who lived in four different buildings.

In the accommodation we visited, some people had a bedroom and shared bathroom, as well as shared communal areas. Other accommodation on the site had kitchen areas for self-catering, and other people lived in shared houses adjacent to the main building.

People’s experience of using this service:

• People and their relatives told us that the service met their needs and was safe.

• People were supported by staff who were kind and respectful. People and their relatives were positive about staff and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs and support them safely. Safe recruitment procedures were in place.

• People were protected from the risk of harm as far as possible. The registered manager and staff were clear on their responsibilities to safeguard people. Policies and procedures were in place to protect people and staff.

• People’s care records provided relevant information and guidance for staff. Some records needed review to ensure they were up to date.

• Some quality assurance systems were in place to monitor and review service delivery and performance. Where audits had been carried out, plans were in place to improve the service as needed. We highlighted to the registered manager that a regular check of care records may help identify when reviews or routine updates were required. The manager planned to ensure regular checks were carried out.

• People were supported to participate in activities, and individual’s choices were respected. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in place at the service supported this practice.

• Medicines were managed and administered safely and as prescribed by staff who had been trained.

• Staff were supported by the management team, and received training, induction and supervision so that they could effectively perform their roles.

• The provider had processes in place to enable them to respond to people's concerns, investigate them and take action as needed.

• More information is in our full report.

Rating at last inspection:

Good (report published 13 October 2016)

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive. We will visit the service in line with our inspection schedule, or sooner if required.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk