Archived: Thera East Anglia

People using the service lived in a range of single occupancy houses, houses with two people sharing and multi-occupancy houses shared by up to five people. Houses in multiple occupation are properties where at least three people in more than one household share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities. Not everyone using Thera East Anglia receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

We undertook an announced comprehensive inspection of Thera East Anglia between 28 November and 13 December 2017. At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated good

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our visit. 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.

Staff knew how to respond to possible harm and how to reduce risks to people. Lessons were learnt about accidents and incidents and these were shared with staff members to ensure changes were made to staff practise or the environment, to reduce further occurrences. There were enough staff who had been recruited properly to make sure they were suitable to work with people. Medicines were stored and administered safely. Regular cleaning made sure that infection control was maintained.

People were cared for by staff who had received the appropriate training and had the skills and support to carry out their roles. Staff members understood and complied with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People received a choice of meals, which they liked, and staff supported them to eat and drink. They were referred to health care professionals as needed and staff followed the advice professionals gave them. Adaptations were made to ensure people were safe and able to move around their home as independently as possible.

Staff were caring, kind and treated people with respect. People were listened to and were involved in their care and what they did on a day to day basis. People’s right to privacy was maintained by the actions and care given by staff members.

People’s personal and health care needs were met and care records guided staff in how to do this. There were numerous activities for people to do and take part in and people were able to spend time with their peers and take part in cultural and religious activities. A complaints system was in place and there was information in alternative formats so people knew who to speak with if they had concerns.

Staff worked well together and felt supported by the management team, which promoted a culture for staff to provide person centred care. The provider’s monitoring process looked at systems throughout the service, identified issues and staff took the appropriate action to resolve these. People’s views were sought and changes made if this was needed.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

We also visited the provider's office to look at service records and information. Over the course of the inspection we spoke with the registered manager, the personal assistant (PA) for the provider, three community support leaders, two team leaders and six support workers.

We found people's needs had been assessed and staff had clear guidance and information available instructing them how to meet people's needs.

People who used the service told us they were happy with the support provided. Comments included, 'I have lived here for over ten years and I am very happy. I have a keyworker and we discuss my support plan and make changes when needed.'

Support workers received appropriate training and support. The provider had internal quality, monitoring and audit systems in place.

The people we spoke with talked positively about the staff that supported them. They told us they felt confident that staff had the right skills and experience in order to support them in the way they had chosen.

One person told us, 'I know my own mind but I like it that my staff are in my circle of support with my family. I do loads of things and they (staff) help me do them.'

We found that staff were provided with training and support to enable them to do their job safely and they were given, and encouraged to give regular feedback to the management team on how well the organisation was doing.

We also found that people felt confident taking any suggestions or concerns to the manager or any of the staff team.

A relative of one person we spoke with told us, 'If we think staff are doing something wrong we sit down and discuss it. We give and receive good feedback and we work together as one team.'