We carried out a review of the data available to us about Luton Road 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 Luton Road, you can give feedback on this 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. 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
People using the service were protected from avoidable harm and staff knew about safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures. The provider kept records of accidents and incidents and these were used to learn lessons and prevent reoccurrence. There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs and extra staff were rostered on when needed to cover appointments and activities. The service had it’s own bank of staff to cover staff absences. People’s medicines were managed safely and people were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection.
Staff were supported in their role with training, supervision and appraisals. People’s care needs were assessed before they began to use the service to ensure their care needs could be met. Staff supported people with their nutritional and healthcare needs. 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 and relatives told us staff were caring. Staff knew people’s care needs and described how they developed positive relationships. People had a named care worker who had overall responsibility for their care. The service involved people, relatives and their representatives in decisions about the care. Staff knew how to provide an equitable service. People’s privacy, dignity and independence were promoted.
Staff understood how to provide a personalised care service. Care plans were detailed and contained people’s choices and preferences. The provider assessed people’s communication needs to ensure these could be met. Staff knew people’s preferred method of communication. People and relatives knew how to make a complaint. The provider dealt with complaints appropriately. The service had a system to capture people’s end of life care wishes and was in the process of encouraging people and their relatives to contribute to these plans.
People and relatives spoke positively about the leadership in the service. The provider had a system in place to obtain feedback from people, relatives and other agencies about the service to identify areas for improvement. People and staff had regular meetings to be updated on service developments. The provider had a system of carrying out regular quality checks at the service to identify areas for improvement and areas of good practice. The service worked in partnership with other agencies to provide good outcomes 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 (report published on 22 December 2016).
Why we inspected This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor the 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.
Luton Road is a supported living service currently providing accommodation and support to 11 people with a learning disability. Each person had their own flat with a bathroom and kitchen. There was a communal kitchen in both sites for people to use.
The service had 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People had risk assessments to protect them whilst in their flats and also in the community. Risk was assessed regularly and staff could explain people's individual risks and what should be done to safeguard them.
People were kept safe from abuse as staff knew how to identify abuse and who to report it to. People also knew they could report concerns to staff and safeguarding was discussed during people’s key working sessions and house meetings.
Medicines were managed safely and management carried out checks to audit the competency of staff to ensure medicines were stored, recorded and administered safely. People at the service knew the times they received medicines from staff.
Safe recruitment was carried out with the involvement of people during the interview process. Staff had to complete a number of pre-employment checks to ensure suitability to work with people in a care setting.
Equipment used during the service was regularly checked and staff performed visual checks to ensure safety.
Staff received regular supervision and an annual appraisal. Training was also available to keep staff knowledge and skills up to date.
People were asked for their consent before being given care and staff demonstrated they understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
People’s meals were prepared with the support of staff and staff explained the importance of healthy eating to people. Health professionals were involved in care planning and staff showed they understood what had been written to ensure people were eating healthily and safely during mealtimes.
People were supported by caring staff who took the time to listen them. Privacy and dignity was maintained and staff maintained people’s confidentiality when having talking to them.
People had personalised care plans which detailed information about the person, their life history, skills and goals they wanted to achieve. People had a keyworker who they met with monthly to discuss progress towards these goals.
Staff were supported by the registered manager they thought was very good and took the time to listen to them and give advice. Regular audits were performed to ensure the quality of the service.
The provider responded appropriately to any allegation of abuse.
The service had taken on an apprentice who was now permanently employed at the service. Some staff were able, from time to time, to obtain further relevant training and qualifications with a view to succession planning. The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received.
We saw all files contained personal care guidelines which clearly stated what people could do for themselves. The areas the guideline covered included waking up, support in the shower, support with dressing and support with meals.
People who used the service said they felt very safe and if they had any concerns they would tell the person who comes to talk to them about complaints. One relative we spoke with told us 'safety was our main concern when selecting a service. We feel our relative is very safe with the staff that supports them.'
We saw the organisation offers a number of annual training courses which included medication awareness, first aid, mental health, manual handling and hazardous risks.
There was evidence that learning from incidents took place and appropriate changes were implemented. Incident reports were completed and sent to head office where reports were produced on a quarterly basis. The reports outlined trends and looked at different ways to reduce incidents happening.