iDirect - West Dorset

Updated 4 April 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was conducted by two inspectors. One different inspector visited the service and people on 27 November, 17 and 18 December 2019.

This service is a domiciliary care and supported living agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats, or their family homes. 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.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 27 November 2019 and ended on 20 December 2019. We visited the office location on 27 November 2019 and 17 December 2019.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We visited the office on 21 November 2019 and 17 December 2019. We visited two people in their own homes on 17 November 2019 and two further people on 18 December 2019. We spoke with 11 staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, team leaders, support workers and the training manager. We also met with the registered provider. We reviewed two people’s care records. The registered manager provided us with additional information about what the service did well and what they were proud of.

After the inspection –

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, partnership working and quality assurance records. We spoke with two relatives of people who used the service. We sought feedback from commissioners, health and social care professionals by email. One staff member provided feedback via our website and another by email.

Updated 4 April 2020

About the service

iDirect provides personal care and support to people living in their own home or their family home. People using the service included people living with a learning disability, autism and/or mental health conditions. At the time of our inspection, there were 9 people being supported by the service who received personal care.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

Following the last inspection, people’s experiences had improved significantly and they now received outstandingly effective and responsive care and support from a well led and constantly improving service.

Without exception everyone we spoke with or had feedback from was full of praise for the service and its staff.

There was a strong and knowledgeable provider and management team who led by example and who were committed to continually monitoring and developing the service. The provider, management team and staff were passionate about the service. The service was forward thinking and innovative and worked creatively with outside organisations to promote the well-being of people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health needs. They focused on the principles of citizenship and being part of the community and constantly worked with people to achieve this. People, relatives, and staff worked together to support and develop the service.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes and be valued as citzens. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People received a truly person-centred service which promoted excellent outcomes for them. This included supporting their independence and control over their own lives. Each person was respected as an individual, with their own social and cultural diversity, values and beliefs.

Staff were highly skilled and motivated. Staff had an in-depth knowledge of the people they supported and worked with them to improve their quality of life. They provided flexible care and support in line with a person's needs and wishes.

People were safe and risks to people were identified, assessed and managed safely with an enabling and empowering focus so no one was restricted. Staff supported people to take positive risks and were flexible in their approach.

There were enough staff to meet people's needs safely and recruitment processes were robust with people included so they had a say about who might be employed to support them.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 15 May 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

Going forward we will continue to monitor this service and plan to inspect in line with our inspection schedule for those services rated as Outstanding.