40 Mashiters Walk

40 Mashiters Walk is a supported living service providing personal care to 5 people. At the time of the inspection, 3 of those people lived permanently at the service and 2 were there on respite care.

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

Right Support: People were able to choose where they lived. The service was able to assess people's needs before they began living at the service, so they knew whether they could meet their needs. Staff were supported through training and supervision to gain knowledge and skills to help them in their role. People were supported to eat a balanced diet and were able to choose what they ate. Care plans were in place for people which set out how to meet their needs in a person-centred way. Systems were in place for dealing with complaints. People were supported to maintain relationships with family and friends, and to engage in meaningful activities.

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.

Right Care: People were protected from the risk of abuse. Risk assessments had been carried out to identify the risks people faced. These included information about how to mitigate those risks. There were enough staff working at the service to meet people's needs. Infection control and prevention systems were in place. Accidents and incidents were reviewed to see if any lessons could be learnt from them. Staff understood how to support people in a way that promoted their privacy, independence and dignity. The service sought to meet people's needs in relation to

equality and diversity.

Right Culture: People were supported with care that was person-centred. Quality assurance and monitoring systems were in place to help drive improvements at the service. Relatives and staff told us there was an open and positive culture at the service. The provider was aware of their legal obligations and worked with other agencies to develop best practice and share knowledge.

However, the provider did not have any formal systems n place for engaging with people who used the service and their relatives, and we have made a recommendation about this.

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 28 December 2017).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture. We inspected this service because the previous inspection was more than 5 years ago, and we wanted to check the provider was still providing good quality and safe care.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. The service was provided in one multiple occupation house that could support 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. 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 house has five individual bedrooms with shared lounge, dining, kitchen and bathing areas and a staff office. At the time of the inspection, a limited number of people were using the service.

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.

The service has a registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager is also the registered provider.

People received a safe service. Systems were in place to minimise risk and to ensure that people were supported as safely as possible. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to ensure people were safe and what to do if they had any concerns or suspected any abuse. They were confident that the registered manager would address any concerns.

Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s needs and to enable them to do be supported in a way that they wished.

People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity was maintained. They were supported by a small, caring staff team who knew them well.

Systems were in place to ensure that people received their prescribed medicines safely. Medicines were administered by staff who were trained and assessed as being competent to do this.

Staff received the support and training they needed to give them the necessary skills and knowledge to meet people’s assessed needs, preferences and choices.

People were protected by the provider’s recruitment process, which ensured that staff were suitable to work with people who need support.

People were encouraged to develop their skills and to be as independent as possible. They were supported to carry out daily living activities such as shopping, cooking, cleaning and laundry.

Care records contained information about people’s assessments, needs, wishes, likes, dislikes and preferences.

The registered manager monitored the quality of service provided to ensure that people received a safe and effective service that met their needs and had positive outcomes.

People were encouraged to make choices and to have as much control as possible over what they did and how they were supported. Systems were in place to ensure that their human rights were protected.

Staff felt the registered manager was approachable and supportive and gave them clear guidance.