We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Mews on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about The Mews, you can give feedback on this service.
Colbalt is a domiciliary care agency. It is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes, including people with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection visit the service supported 14 people.
This service provides care and support to people living in ‘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.
People’s experience of using this service:
People felt safe using the service and staff understood how to recognise and report abuse. Staff recruitment processes included background checks to review their suitability to work with vulnerable adults.
People received support from staff when needed and they were supported to have their medicines as prescribed. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink to maintain their well-being. People were supported to obtain advice from healthcare professionals when required.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were treated with dignity and their independence was promoted wherever possible. Staff provided care to people at the end of their lives.
People were involved in planning their care with support from staff. People and their families understood how to complain if they wanted to. The provider and the registered manager were open and honest, and worked in partnership with outside agencies to improve people’s support when required. There were checks in place to ensure good standards of care were maintained.
People did not have a full and up to date record of their care and support needs stored at the office location on the first day of our inspection visit because of a re-decoration programme. They were however accessible to people and staff in their homes. Improvements were made straight after our visit and records were available in the office location when we visited again.
Rating at last inspection:
The last rating for this service was Good [overall with a rating of requires improvement in well led] (published January 2017). At this inspection we found improvements were made in how the service was led, and the rating has improved to good in all areas.
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
The manager had been in post for one year and had been registered with us since July 2016. 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 service is a supported living service which provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. The provider owned one property where people had private tenancies with the provider and shared the building. The provider also rented other properties, where people had private tenancies. At the time of our visit, 7 people received personal care from the service.
People told us they felt safe using the service and staff understood how to protect people from abuse. There were processes to minimise risks associated with people’s care to keep them safe. People's medicines were managed, stored and administered safely.
There were enough suitably trained staff to deliver care and support to people. Staff received an induction and a programme of training to support them in meeting people’s needs effectively.
The registered manager understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and was in the process of working with the local authority to review any deprivation of people’s liberties. Staff respected people’s decisions and gained people’s consent before they provided personal care. It was not clear on people’s records if they required support to make decisions.
People told us staff were kind and caring and had the right skills to provide the care and support they required. Staff treated people in a way that respected their dignity and promoted their independence.
People were involved in planning how they were cared for and supported. Care was planned to meet people’s individual needs and preferences. People knew how to complain about the service they received. People had fulfilling lives because they were engaged in activities that were meaningful to them.
People felt able to contact the registered manager if they needed to. Staff felt supported and were encouraged to share ideas to make improvements to the service. There were processes to ensure good standards of care were maintained for people, however these were not all effective, because there were inaccuracies on one person’s care plan.