Background to this inspection
Updated
24 May 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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
One inspector and an inspection manager carried out the inspection.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in seven ‘supported living’ settings so 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave a short notice period of the inspection because we wanted to be sure people would be at home to speak with us.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since its registration, including notifications of significant incidents. We sought feedback from professionals who had worked with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We visited the service’s office and spoke with the registered manager and the provider’s locality manager. We visited six of the seven supported living properties and spoke with 12 people who used the service to hear their views about the support they received. We also spoke with eight support workers.
We checked two people’s care records, including their risk assessments and support plans, and the arrangements for managing medicines. We reviewed information sent to us by the registered manager, including recruitment records for three staff, records of accidents and incidents, complaints, quality assurance checks, minutes of staff meetings and the results of satisfaction surveys completed by people who used the service.
After the inspection
We received feedback from four relatives about the care their family members received and five health and social care professionals who had an involvement with the service. We received feedback from six support workers about the training and support they received to do their jobs.
Updated
24 May 2022
About the service
South East DCA is a supported living service which provides support to people in their own homes. The service supports people in four properties in Surrey and three properties in the London Borough of Lambeth. The properties are maintained by managing agents and each person has their own tenancy agreement. All the people who use the service have a learning disability and some people also have mental health needs, a physical disability, or sensory impairment.
The service supported 25 people at the time of our inspection, 17 of whom received support with personal care. CQC only inspects services 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
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.
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Right support:
People felt safe at the service and when staff provided their care and support. Staff managed risks well to keep people safe while promoting their independence. Staff supported people to take their medicines safely and to access healthcare services when they needed them.
Staff focused on people’s strengths and supported people to identify and achieve their goals. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible. People were involved in planning their support and had opportunities to give feedback about their care. People’s relatives were able to give their views about the care their family members received and these were listened to.
Right care:
Staff understood their responsibilities in protecting people from abuse and knew how to report any concerns they had. The provider’s recruitment procedures helped ensure only suitable staff were employed.
Staff support was available when people needed it. This included allocated one-to-one support hours, which people could choose how they used. Staff had the training they needed to provide people’s care.
People received kind and compassionate care. Staff treated people with respect and maintained their dignity. Staff supported people to take part in activities they enjoyed and to live fulfilling and meaningful lives.
Right culture:
Staff valued people’s individuality, protected their rights and supported them to lead confident, empowered lives. 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.
The registered manager led by example in their attitudes and behaviours and maintained a good oversight of the service. Staff felt valued for the work they did and were well-supported in their roles. The provider’s governance arrangements were effective in keeping people safe and ensuring good quality care and support. The registered manager and staff had established effective relationships with other professionals to ensure people received the care and treatment they needed.
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 the service at its previous address was good, published on 21 May 2019.
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection based on the date of the service’s registration at its current address. We also wanted to assess whether the service was applying the principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
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.