Adolphus Care

Updated 29 June 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was conducted by 2 inspectors.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in up to 5 different ‘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.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period notice of the inspection because some of the people using it could not consent to a home visit from an inspector. This meant that we had to arrange for a ‘best interests’ decision about this.

We visited 2 of the supported living schemes and the registered office location on 13 June 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

We looked at all the information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included notifications of significant events.

During the inspection

We met both people who used the service and the relative of 1 person when we visited 2 of the supported living schemes. We met the registered manager, regional manager, 2 team leaders and 4 support workers. We received feedback from a 5th support worker by telephone. We were able to see how the staff supported and interacted with people when we visited the supported living schemes.

We visited the registered office location and looked at records used by the provider for managing the service, including the care records for both people, records for 6 members of staff, meeting minutes, audits, and quality checks.

Updated 29 June 2023

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Adolphus Care is a care agency providing personal care and support to people living in supported living schemes. They can provide a service to people with learning disabilities, autistic people, and people with mental health needs.

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.

At the time of our inspection, 2 adults with learning disabilities were receiving personal care and support in 2 different supported living schemes. The provider supported 11 adults in total across 5 different schemes. They had the staffing and facilities to provide additional personal care support to others if they needed this in the future.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture.

Right Support: The service supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control, and independence. The staff focused on people's strengths so people could have meaningful and active lives. People were supported to pursue their own interests. The staff did everything possible to avoid restraining people. The staff supported people to access health and social care support in the community. Staff supported people with their medicines to achieve the best possible health outcome.

Right Care: Staff promoted people's equality and diversity. They understood people's cultural needs. Staff were kind and caring. They protected and respected people's privacy and dignity. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other organisations to help protect people. There were enough skilled staff to meet people's needs and care for them safely. People were able to communicate with staff and understand information because the staff met their individual communication needs.

Right culture: People led inclusive lives and were empowered by the ethos and values of the organisation. People were supported by staff who understood about best practice in caring for autistic people and people with learning disabilities. Staff placed people's wishes and needs at the centre of their work. They valued people's beliefs and choices. Staff felt well supported and respected by managers.

For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (Published 6 June 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of right support, right care, right culture.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.