Reach Learning Disability Care C.I.C

Updated 18 December 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

We inspected the service on 18 October 2018 and the inspection was announced. The provider was given 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager and staff would be available.

The inspection was conducted by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert-by-Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Prior to the inspection we contacted the local authority commissioning team and other professionals who were involved with the service. Their comments were used to plan the inspection and fed into the report.

We reviewed information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

To help us plan our inspection we reviewed previous inspection reports, information received from other agencies and statutory notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

During the inspection we observed three people taking part in an activity at the day centre which is part of 'Reach Learning Disability'. We spoke with four people who used the service and three family members. We also spoke with six support staff, the care coordinator, senior administration officer, registered manager and operations director.

We looked at the support records for six people who used the service, and we also reviewed parts of other records for other people. This included people's medicine administration records, accident and incident logs, staff recruitment and training records. In addition, we reviewed company quality assurance audits, policies and procedures.

Updated 18 December 2018

This inspection took place on the 18 October 2018 and was announced. Reach Learning Disability Care CIC (RLDC) is registered to support people with personal care. RLDC specialises in providing care and support for people who live with a learning disability, in their own homes and when out in the community. People also had use of a day service based at the office. At the time of the inspection there were 42 people receiving support with their personal care.

The service was last inspected in March 2016 and the overall rating for that inspection was Good. However, improvements were required in Effective. At this inspection we found that improvements had been made.

On the day of our inspection there was a registered manager in post who was available throughout the inspection. 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.

People received safe care. Staff were aware of their responsibility to keep people safe. Risks were assessed and managed to reflect people’s current needs. Staffing levels were adequate. Safe recruitment was followed to ensure suitable staff were employed. Medicines were managed safely. The provider followed relevant guidance for infection control. Systems were in place to monitor accidents and incidents and to identify any lessons learned and make improvements where required.

People received care and support from knowledgeable and suitably trained staff. Care needs were assessed and considered the full range of people’s diverse needs.

People received sufficient to eat and drink. Staff encouraged people to cook for themselves and eat and drink nutritious food. People’s healthcare needs were monitored to ensure their day to day needs were met. People used equipment and technology to ensure they could be independent.

People were involved in making decisions about their care. Staff were working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People could choose which staff cared for them. Staff understood the requirements about consent and people’s capacity.

There was a strong person-centred culture throughout the service. Staff were sensitive to times when people needed caring and compassionate support. People were extremely positive about the caring nature of staff. People were empowered to make decisions about their care and support. Respect and dignity was at the heart of the services culture and embedded in everything they did.

Care was tailored to meet individual needs. People were supported without exception to lead meaningful and independent lives. Information was provided in formats that were accessible to people. Complaints and concerns were fully Investigated, with lessons learned and action taken appropriately.

The service was extremely well led, with a clear focus on person centred care, which empowered people and their relatives to make decisions about their care. Care planning involved people and their families to be fully involved and enabled them to be as independent as possible. The quality assurance systems in place effectively monitored the service. The registered manager responded positively and was proactive to change to continually strive to improve the service.