Archived: Islington Council Supported Living Service for Adults with Learning Disabilities

Updated 16 March 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.

The inspection took place on 19 December 2018 and was carried out by one inspector. Before the inspection we looked at the information we had about the service. We reviewed the completed Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

Before the inspection we looked at notifications that we had received and any communications we had with people about the service. This included the local authority safeguarding and commissioning teams as well as other health and social care professionals.

We visited people living in two shared flats out of the four different flats where people lived. We had no concern raised about people living in the other two flats and on this occasion did not visit them. We gathered evidence of people’s experiences by talking with one person using the service, staff interpreting sign language for another and meeting a third person who did not wish to have a conversation as they were busy. We also spoke with two care workers and the registered manager.

As part of this inspection we reviewed three people’s care plans. We looked at the medicines management, staff training and supervision records for the staff team across the service. We reviewed other records such as complaints information, quality monitoring, audit information and safety records.

Updated 16 March 2019

Islington Council Supported Living Service for Adults with Learning Disabilities provides supported living for up to nine people at three sites. There were seven people using the service at the time of this inspection.

The service is run by Islington Council social services department. 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 inspection took place on 19 December 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a community based care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available to speak with us.

At our last inspection on 14 and 18 November 2016 we rated the service as good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service had a registered manager in place. 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.

From the discussions we had with people using the service we found that people were usually very satisfied with the way the service supported them. People and staff interacted well together and there were evidently good relationships.

People’s human rights were protected, and the service was diligent with ensuring that the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) were complied with. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were also applied properly and authorised as required by law.

During our review of care plans we found that these were tailored to people’s individual needs. Communication methods of providing care and support and any risks people might face were regularly reviewed. Medicines were managed safely, people were encouraged and supported to do this independently if possible, but also were provided with support by staff each time medicines were taken.

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Staff completed mandatory training and specialised training. This was tailored to the needs of the people they were supporting. We found that staff appraisals were happening yearly, and staff had development objectives set arising from the appraisal system.

People’s privacy and dignity was respected. From the conversations we had with people, our observations and records we looked at, we found that people’s preferences were known, and staff worked well to ensure these preferences were respected.

People who used the service, relatives, staff and stakeholders had a range of opportunities to provide their views about the quality of the service. The provider took this feedback seriously and had suitable systems in place for monitoring the performance of the service and maintaining quality.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.