We carried out a review of the data available to us about Feather-Stone Care 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 Feather-Stone Care, you can give feedback on this service.
Feather-Stone Care is a supported living service, supporting nine people with learning disabilities across five different properties.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People who used the service told us they felt safe. They told us staff treated them well and they knew who the registered manager was. People’s relatives and partnership agencies told us they were happy with the service and felt that people had made good progress since they had begun using the service.
Safeguarding investigations were completed as required and appropriate action was taken when staff had not met expectations. There were suitable numbers of appropriately recruited staff available to ensure people could complete activities they enjoyed. Risk assessments were in place to support people to receive safe care.
The management team were striving to improve the culture within the service and took an open and transparent approach when incidents occurred. The management team were eager to learn and share good practice and this helped people to make good progress. Systems were in place to audit the care provided and to seek feedback from people involved with the service.
For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection:
The last rating for this service was good (published 11 May 2018).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted in part due to concerns we received about staffing and if people were put at risk because of this. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
The overall rating for the service has not changed following this focused inspection and remains Good.
What happens next?
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
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. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. People using this service lived in one house and at the time of the inspection there were two people 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 had a registered manager in post. 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.
Improvements were required to ensure that adequate recruitment practices were adhered to and that people’s medicines were given in approved ways. There were adequate numbers of staff on duty to keep people safe and people had risk assessments in place which encouraged their independence and kept them safe. Safeguarding systems were in place and the staff and management had a good understanding of how to report any concerns.
People were actively involved in decisions about their care and support needs and there were systems in place to assess people’s capacity for decision making under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People’s nutritional and healthcare needs were regularly monitored. Staff were given regular supervision and feedback about their performance and training was used to help staff be efficient and skilled at supporting people’s specific needs.
People were treated with care, compassion, and respect. Staff had an empowering and empathetic attitude to support people’s personal development, and each person was supported in a way that was individual to them. People were treated with dignity and respect and staff were pre-prepared to support people if their dignity was compromised whilst out in the community. The registered manager understood the value of good advocacy and had systems available to people who required it.
People’s relatives were involved in completing comprehensive assessments when people began to use the service and people’s care packages were designed around each person’s individual needs, styles, preferences, and values. Care plans were regularly updated and contained accurate information. Procedures to manage complaints had been established and people and their relatives were aware of how they could do this.
Quality assurance systems were in place to help improve the service. When an area for improvement had been identified this was acted on promptly. Feedback from people’s relatives was exceptionally positive and relatives commented on the great progress they had seen since their relatives had started using the service.