Background to this inspection
Updated
17 January 2020
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was completed by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in sixteen ‘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.
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
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
We used information we held about the service which included notifications that they sent us to plan this inspection. We also used the completed Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with four people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with members of staff including the registered manager, the nominated individual, senior care staff and care staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
We reviewed a range of records. These included three people’s care records and two people’s medication records. We looked at one staff file in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, were reviewed.
After the inspection
We spoke with a further three relatives for their feedback of the care and support provided. We received written feedback from three health and social care professionals who work closely with the people who lived in the apartments and spoke with one other.
Updated
17 January 2020
About the service
The Baden Powell Centre is a supported living service providing personal care to 16 people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 15 people were living in independent apartments. They had their own kitchen, bathrooms and lounge areas. There was also shared leisure space in the building; including, a small gym, a cinema room, a resource room and a lounge area. The office was in a separate building on the same site with different access to the residential property. This was a change to our previous inspection when the property had been a registered care home. There had been changes to the building because of this and also there were some changes to who lived in the properties.
The service was a larger property than current best practice guidance. However, it was a purpose-built property which had been carefully designed for people to live as independently as they wanted to or were able to with no need to use shared communal areas unless they wanted to.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The outcomes for people using the service strongly reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by embedding choice and control, independence and inclusion as the values of the service. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent. The person-centred focus ensured excellent outcomes for people which respected their diversity and promoted equality. There was a very strong ethos of listening to people, promoting their choices and advocating these on their behalf when required. Staff cared deeply for the people they supported and were clear about the values of the service.
The risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed and action taken to reduce them. This including supporting behaviours which could be challenging. There were systems to learn from mistakes including the detailed analysis of accidents and incidents. People were supported by staff who understood how to protect them from avoidable harm. There were enough staff deployed to keep people safe in their home and when they chose to go out. People’s medicines were well managed when they required this support.
Staff received training to enable them to do their jobs well. Assessment ensured people’s needs were clear and included best practise guidance. They were supported to maintain a healthy diet when needed. Their health and welfare were managed with referrals to other professionals made when required. 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 supported this practice.
People had care and support provided which met their preferences. Complaints were handled in line with the provider’s complaints policy. People did not currently receive end of life care.
Staff enjoyed working at the service and felt respected and valued. People could give their views about how the service could develop and improve. The provider’s quality assurance processes were effective in identifying potential risks to people’s safety. There was a continued focus on learning, development and improvement.
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 Outstanding (published 9 May 2017)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
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.