Background to this inspection
Updated
2 February 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.
This inspection took place on 19 and 20 December 2017 and was announced. We gave the provider notice of the inspection. This was because the location provides a personal care service to people in both their own homes and in 'supported living' homes. We needed to be sure someone would be available at the location office in Nottingham from where the service is managed.
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Before the inspection we reviewed information we held about the service such as notifications. These detail events which happened at the service that the provider is required to tell us about.
We contacted the commissioners of the service to obtain their views about the care provided. The commissioners had funding responsibility for some of the people using the service. We also contacted Healthwatch Nottingham who are the local consumer champion for people using adult social care services to see if they had any feedback about the service. We used this information to inform our inspection planning.
At the time of our inspection there were 44 people using the service. With their prior agreement we visited one person in their own home and spoke with them and one support worker who was present at the time.
During our visit to the Nottingham office we spoke with the registered manager, the branch manager and a further six members of the management team. We also spoke with three support workers with a further support worker being contacted by telephone after our visit. We contacted three relatives of people using the service after our visit to gather their views of the service.
We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the service was managed. This included four people’s plans of care and associated documents including risk assessments. We also looked at three staff files including their recruitment and training records and the quality monitoring processes that the management team completed.
Updated
2 February 2018
This was our first ratings inspection of Aspirations (Midlands). The visit was announced and was carried out on 19 and 20 December 2017. The provider was given notice because the location provides a domiciliary care and supported living service. We needed to be sure that someone would be in the location office in Nottingham from where the service is managed.
Aspirations (Midlands) provided personal care for people with learning disabilities and mental health needs living in both their own homes and in their own 'supported living' homes in and around the Nottingham and Mansfield areas. There were 44 people receiving support when we inspected.
A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 told us they felt safe using Aspirations (Midlands) and felt safe with the staff team who provided their care and support. Relatives we spoke with agreed that their relatives were safe with the staff team who supported them.
Training on the safeguarding of adults had been completed and the staff team were aware of their responsibilities for keeping people safe from avoidable harm or abuse. The registered manager and management team understood their responsibilities for keeping people safe and knew to refer any concerns on to the local authority and Care Quality Commission (CQC).
People’s support needs had been identified and risks associated with people’s care had been assessed and monitored. There were arrangements in place to make sure action was taken and lessons learned when things went wrong, to improve safety across the service.
The appropriate checks had been carried out for people wishing to join the staff team. Once employed, support workers had been provided with an induction into the service and relevant training had been completed.
People felt there were enough staff members suitably deployed to meet their current care and support needs. Staffing rotas reflected appropriate numbers of staff were available.
The staff team had received training in the management of medicines. People were supported with their medicines as prescribed by their GP and in a safe way.
People were protected by the prevention and control of infection. The staff team had received training in infection control and understood their responsibilities around this. Food hygiene training had also been completed and the appropriate procedures were understood by staff when food was to be prepared and stored.
People were supported by a staff team who had the knowledge and skills to deliver effective care and support.
People were supported to access relevant healthcare services such as doctors and community nurses when needed and they were supported to maintain good health. The staff team supported people to eat a balanced and healthy diet which included people’s preferences.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were supported by a staff team that was kind and caring and who treated them with dignity and respect. People were supported to make choices about their care and support and their independence was promoted.
Plans of care had been developed with the people using the service and with people who knew them well. The staff team understood people’s needs and preferences because they had read their plans of care.
People were supported to follow their interests and take part in activities they enjoyed.
People knew what to do if they had a concern and they were reminded of this through meetings and conversations with the staff team.
People’s views of the service were sought through meetings and informal chats. Systems were in place to regularly monitor the service being provided and a business continuity plan was available for the staff team to follow in the event of an emergency or untoward event.
The registered manager and management team were aware of their registration responsibilities including notifying CQC of significant incidents that occurred at the service.