ASLN

Updated 18 December 2019

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 carried out by one inspector.

This service is a domiciliary care agency and supported living provider. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It also 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.

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 we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 31 October 2019 and ended on 4 November 2019. We visited the office location on 31 October and 4 November 2019 and visited people at home on the 4 November.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We contacted Healthwatch and health and social care commissioners. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. Health and social care commissioners commission care from the provider and monitor the care and support that people receive. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who receive support from the service and two people’s relatives. We also spoke with six members of staff, including support workers, heads of support, the deputy manager and registered manager.

We looked at various records, including care records for four people. We also examined records in relation to the management of the service such as quality assurance checks, staff training and supervision records, safeguarding information and information about complaints management.

Updated 18 December 2019

About the service

ASLN is a domiciliary care and supported living service. The service provides care and support to people living in their own homes and flats in the community and 'supported living' settings, so they can live in their own home as independently as possible.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection, the service was supporting 26 people with personal care.

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. 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’s experience of using this service and what we found

The service had a positive ethos and an open culture. The registered manager was approachable, understood the needs of people, and listened to staff. Systems to monitor the quality of the service were in place, they were used to develop the service and drive improvement.

People’s safety was promoted by staff who followed guidance on how to reduce potential risk. People were protected from the risk of harm and received their prescribed medicines safely. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who were safely recruited.

People’s needs, and expectations of care were assessed, which included assessing people’s choices and needs based on their cultural diversity.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their life 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 supported by staff who had the necessary skills and knowledge. Staff were supported through ongoing training and supervision to enable them to provide good quality care. Staff promoted people’s health by liaising with health care professionals when required.

People spoke positively about the support they received and told us staff were caring and kind. Staff treated people with respect and maintained their dignity.

People and family members were involved in the development of care plans, which enabled staff to provide the care and support each person had agreed was appropriate to them.

Information was provided to people in an accessible format to enable them to make decisions about their care and support. People knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint, and the provider had implemented effective systems to manage any complaints received.

The management team were aware of their role and responsibilities in meeting their legal obligations. The provider worked with key stakeholders to facilitate good quality care for people.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

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 4 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.