25 May 2016
During a routine inspection
The service provides personal care and support for adults with learning difficulties, mental health needs and complex care needs in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 27 people were being supported.
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.
The provider did not have good oversight of the service. Internal audits and quality assurance processes were still being developed and errors and omissions identified by us during the inspection had not been identified and addressed by the service.
The service had been supported by the local authority to improve the quality of care plans. We were concerned that the lack of management oversight would result in this improvement not being sustainable.
People were supported to make choices and were involved in the care and support they received. Staff were trained and supported so that they had the knowledge and skills to enable them to care for people in a way that met their individual needs and preferences. Care plans were very detailed and contained people’s likes, dislikes and their preferred routines. There were a range of risk assessments in place to manage and reduce risk to people from receiving care and support and from the activities of daily living. The provider was taking the appropriate action to protect people's legal rights.
People were protected from abuse by staff who had been trained to recognise abuse and were knowledgeable about the risks of abuse and reporting procedures. People received care from a small group of care staff who knew their needs. Safe recruitment practices were followed.