Background to this inspection
Updated
9 November 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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in 13 ‘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.
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
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.
Inspection activity started on 17 September 2019 and ended on 23 September 2019. We visited the office location on 17 September 2019.
What we did before the inspection
We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. However, the PIR had been written by the previous registered manager so much of the information had changed. We discussed the changes with the registered manager during the inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority commissioning and safeguarding teams.
During the inspection-
We spoke with 4 people who use the service, 6 relatives of people using the service and 8 members of staff, including the registered manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
Updated
9 November 2019
About the service
Newfield View Supported Living is a supported living service based in the town of Eckington in Sheffield. People lived in their own homes and had tenancy agreements with a housing association.
The provider supported adults with a range of needs, including learning disability and autistic spectrum disorder, physical disability, sensory impairment, drug and alcohol misuse and mental health. During the inspection, 18 people were being supported with their personal care needs in 13 properties. There were between 2 and 4 people living in most houses and one person lived alone.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
The Secretary of State has asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to conduct a thematic review and to make recommendations about the use of restrictive interventions in settings that provide care for people with or who might have mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or autism. Thematic reviews look in-depth at specific issues concerning quality of care across the health and social care sectors. They expand our understanding of both good and poor practice and of the potential drivers of improvement.
As part of thematic review, we carried out a survey with the registered manager at this inspection. This considered whether the service used any restrictive intervention practices (restraint, seclusion and segregation) when supporting people. The service used positive behaviour support principles to support people in the least restrictive way. No restrictive intervention practices were used.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Governance and performance management was not always clear or effective. The management team had identified that this was an area for improvement and were rolling out a new audit tool.
Complaints were not handled and responded to consistently. Some relatives told us their relation was living in a home with people they didn’t feel comfortable with and with whom they had no shared interests. People were supported and where appropriate, encouraged to develop and maintain relationships that were important to them.
Some people’s relatives expressed concern about the lack of promotion of independence. People told us they were supported by staff who were kind and caring. We observed interactions between staff and people and saw people were treated with kindness, respect and their dignity was upheld.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People’s physical, mental and social needs were holistically assessed.
People were consistently safe and protected from avoidable harm. There were systems and processes in place to keep people safe and raise and investigate potential safeguarding concerns. Though we found the documentation around this was not always clear.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published November 2016)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.