New Villas Office

Updated 17 December 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors. An Expert by Experience made calls to relatives. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in 7 ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. 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.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 10 October 2022 and ended on 24 October 2022. We visited the location’s office on 10 October 2022.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 4 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 4 members of staff including the registered manager, operations manager and 2 support workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included care records for 4 people who used the service, including care plan, risk assessment and daily records of care. We also reviewed medication administration records for 2 people. We looked at 4 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We also looked at a variety of records related to the running of the service, including policies and procedures, quality assurance and audits.

Updated 17 December 2022

About the service

New Villas Office provides care and support for up to 55 people with a learning disability or mental health

needs living in 7 'supported living' settings, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. 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. At the time of our inspection 7 people were receiving personal care.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

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

Right support

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 had their risks assessed to reduce the risk of potential harm to them. People who may become anxious or distressed had proactive plans in place to reduce the need for restrictive practices. Recruitment checks were carried out to ensure staff employed were safe to work with people. Systems were in place to report and learn from any incidents where restrictive practices were used.

People were cared for and supported by staff who were suitably trained and supported to effectively perform their roles and responsibilities.

Right care

Care was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse as staff knew how to report concerns should they suspect or witness abuse. People had their communication needs met and information was shared in a way that could be understood. People were supported to access food and drink that met their dietary needs and wishes. People were supported to stay healthy and well.

Right culture

The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of management and care staff promoted a service which was inclusive, empowered and encouraged good outcomes for people who used the service. Relatives and staff spoke positively of the registered manager. Managers ensured that staff had relevant training, supervision and appraisal. Governance systems ensured people were kept safe and received a high quality of care and support in line with their personal needs. Staff worked well with other services and professionals to improve outcomes for people.

Relatives told us the registered manager was approachable and took action to resolve issues where needed. Staff told us they were well supported by the registered manager and were listened to and encouraged to discuss their views regarding the service.

Systems for monitoring the quality of the service were in place and regular audits took place. Continuous learning took place to improve the quality of the service provided to people. However, frequent management changes meant sometimes there were inconsistencies in the way the service was managed by different people.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was rated good (published 14 August 2018).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the provider in relation to the management of the service, staffing levels, recruitment and medicines management. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, effective and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for New Villas Office on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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