Impacting Lives Care and Support

Updated 17 July 2021

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 carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to a person living in their own home, so they can live as independently as possible. The persons care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at 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

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 8 June 2021 and ended on 16 June 2021. We visited the office location on 8 June 2021.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We asked the provider to submit a provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. The provider told us they had not received this request.

During the inspection

We spoke with the relative of one person who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including one of the directors, registered manager and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included one person’s care records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 17 July 2021

About the service

Impacting Lives Care and Support is a supported living service which provides personal care to adults with a range of support needs in their houses and flats. It currently provides a service to adults with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of this inspection the service was supporting one person.

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.

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

The provider had systems in place to monitor, assess and improve the quality and safety of the service being provided but this needed development to ensure issues we identified on inspection would be identified by the provider’s own systems. People and their relatives were able to give feedback about their care in a variety of ways including care reviews and spot checks monitoring staff performance.

People were protected from abuse and a relative told us their loved one received safe care. People received support from a regular staff team and staff were recruited safely. Where risks to people had been identified, risk assessments were in place. People received their medicines when they needed them.

Staff had received training in infection control and demonstrated an understanding of what personal protective equipment (PPE) should be used when supporting people.

People's needs were assessed and staff with the right skills helped to meet these. Staff received appropriate training to assist them in their role. There were enough staff to support people's needs. Staff supported people with their eating, drinking and to access healthcare support.

There was an enthusiastic, positive and caring culture amongst staff at the service. Staff had good knowledge of the person they supported and told us they enjoyed working at the service. People's independence was promoted and respected. Staff understood the importance of ensuring people's rights were understood and respected.

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.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were working towards consistently meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. The person was given choices and the service promoted independence where possible. The staff knew the service user well and person-centred care was being provided.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 7 December 2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out due to the length of time the provider had been registered with CQC without receiving a formal rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.