Partners in Support

Updated 19 June 2019

The inspection: We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type: Partners in Support is a supported living service. It provides personal care and support to people who live in their own houses or flats. It provides a service to adults. At the time of our inspection 14 were using the service.

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 visit because we asked them to arrange for us to meet some of the people they supported and staff. We visited the office and met with people and staff on 31 January 2019. On 12 February 2019 we received feedback from relatives of people using the service and 22 March 2019 we requested more evidence from the provider.

What we did: Before the inspection we reviewed information, we held about the service including statutory notifications. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us. We received feedback from the local authority about their most recent inspection. We also reviewed the provider information return (PIR) submitted to us. This is information that the provider is required to send to us, which gives us some key information about the service and tells us what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with five staff members, the compliance and training manager and the registered manager, who was also the provider. We spoke with four people using the service and observed how staff supported and communicated with 11 people who attended a small gathering organised by the provider on the day of the inspection. Following the inspection, two relatives and a social care professional gave us feedback about the service.

We looked at two care plans and reviewed records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 19 June 2019

About the service: The service provided care and support to adults with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 14 people were being supported by the service.

Rating at last inspection: Outstanding (report published 24 April 2016)

At this inspection we found the service continued to improve and maintained their outstanding rating.

People’s experience of using this service:

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

The 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.

Positive risk taking continued to be a focus of the organisation to enable people to live the life they wanted and be part of the community. People, where possible, were supported to understand the risk involved in any activities they were doing and how to stay safe.

There was a strong ethos of learning from when things went wrong. Lessons were learned across the organisation to understand what changes were required from a provider`s point of view and staff`s point of view. Changes were implemented effectively ensuring staff and management understood what the changes were and how their practices had to change to benefit people.

People, relatives and professionals were very complimentary about the positive outcomes people achieved. The registered manager had personal experience of a close family member living with a learning disability for whom the service was originally set up. This had enabled the provider to have an invaluable understanding of the quality of support they wanted to provide to people. The provider`s systems and processes enabled staff to place the person in the centre of the support they received. People were supported to gain confidence and important life skills which helped build their independence.

The service was flexible and adaptable to each person`s needs to ensure people reached their full potential and could live independently in their own homes. People and, where appropriate, their relatives appreciated that they were involved in recruiting the staff team to support them.

The provider had a well-developed management system in place with clear responsibilities for every member of their staff team. This ensured that communication was effective and the decision-making process for any actions needed to improve the service were taken promptly.

Without exception, people and relatives praised the staff for their caring attitude and their commitment to support people to overcome barriers and live life to the full.

People`s care plans were personalised and reflected people`s voice about how they wanted staff to support them. There were regular meetings with people, relatives and professionals to ensure their care and support needs were reviewed and they were happy with the support they received.

Relatives told us the service exceeded their expectations in supporting people to achieve better outcomes which had not been possible where they had lived previously.

People took part in a range of personal development programmes. Individual programmes were designed to offer both familiar and new experiences to people, and the opportunity to develop new skills. People who used the service accessed a range of community facilities and completed activities within the service.

The provider's governance was well-embedded and there were effective assurance systems that ensured ongoing compliance. Since our last inspection the provider improved how they monitored the quality of the service, the risk management plans, training for staff and other areas of the service. They effectively measured the impact the changes had on the quality of the service delivered.

There was an extremely positive culture within the service, the management team provided strong leadership and led by example. The registered manager had a clear vision and strong values about how people were supported, and this was echoed by all the staff we spoke with. Staff were proud to work for the provider and felt they were an active part of an organisation where they mattered, and their voice was heard.

The provider positively influenced the care and support people with a learning disability and autism received in the community by sharing their experience and best practice with other providers of similar services across the county.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.