North West Supported Living Service

Updated 18 February 2020

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

North Cumbria Domiciliary Support Service runs two different types of service; a supported living service and a shared lives scheme (SLS). The supported living service provides care and support to 24 people living in eight ‘supported living’ settings, so 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.

In the shared lives scheme (SLS) they recruit, train and support self-employed shared lives carers (SLC) who offer accommodation and support arrangements for vulnerable adults within their own family homes in the community.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means 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 short notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the provider or manager would be in the office to support the inspection. We also needed information to help carry out parts of the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 9 January and ended on 4 February 2020. We visited the office location on 9, 15 and 16 January 2020.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We visited the service offices. We also made phone calls to relatives and shared lives carers. We spoke with five people who used the service, three shared lives carers and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, shared lives co-ordinator, supervisors, care workers and shared lives carers.

As this was an inspection to check whether the service had sustained its good rating, we reviewed a smaller number of records. This included people's care and medication records. We looked at staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including training overviews, checks and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with two professionals who regularly worked with the service.

Updated 18 February 2020

About the service

North Cumbria Domiciliary Support Service runs two different types of service to people with learning disabilities/and or autism. One is a supported living service that supports people to live in their own home as independently as possible. People’s care and housing were provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. There were 24 people at the time of our inspection across eight houses.

The other service is a Shared Lives Scheme (SLS) which provides people with long-term placements, short breaks and respite care, within shared lives carers (SLC) own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 20 households with 21 people living with and supported by shared lives carers.

The service had 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’s experience of using this service

People were very happy with the support from North Cumbria Domiciliary Support Service. They felt safe and were protected from the risk of harm. Staff supported people to be independent whilst also managing risks. People were supported by trained staff to manage their medicines safely. There were sufficient numbers of staff who were safely recruited.

Staff were knowledgeable of people’s care needs and carried out regular assessment of their needs. Staff received training, supervision and appraisal to equip them for their role. People were supported by staff to access healthcare services and took action when they noticed a deterioration in their health.

Everyone told us staff were kind, caring and considerate and staff went to great lengths to help them live their lives to the full. People lived full lives and had control, choice and their independence was promoted. People were given opportunities to gain new skills and become more independent. Staff treated people with dignity and respect by promoting equality, diversity and protecting their human rights.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. People were supported to be active citizens and to fully engage in the local community. They told us staff helped them to lead interesting lives of their choosing. 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.

The service was well led. There was an established senior management team of registered manager, shared lives coordinator and a supervisor for each supported living setting. The provider had processes for monitoring the quality of the service and this included opportunities for people to give their opinions about the standard and quality of the service they received.

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 4 May 2017).

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.