Background to this inspection
Updated
20 January 2022
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 two inspectors.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. A current acting manager was applying for registration. This means they and the provider will be 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 the provider or acting manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
The people receiving support did not have verbal communication and we were told they could become distressed when introduced to new people. Respecting this, we spoke with three people’s relatives to gain their feedback on the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the operations manager and acting manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included five people's care records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management and quality assurance of the service.
Updated
20 January 2022
About the service
Autism West Midlands - Outreach and Supported Living South Midlands is a care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care to 5 people.
People's experience of using this service and what we found
Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and harm.
People's support needs were risk assessed and care plans provided staff with the information they needed to manage the identified risk.
The provider carried out recruitment checks to ensure staff were suitable for the role.
Staff had the necessary skills to carry out their role. Staff had regular training opportunities and training specific to people's individual needs was provided.
People received their medicines as prescribed. Infection control policies and procedures were in place to keep people safe.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way 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.
This service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. There was a strong focus on supporting people to be independent, develop their skills and access their local community. This enabled people who used the service to live as full as life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes.
Right support:
• Model of care and setting maximises people's choice, control and independence
Right care:
• Care is person-centred and promotes people's dignity, privacy and human rights
Right culture:
• Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.
People's individual communication needs were considered to support them to be involved in their care.
Systems and processes in place promoted a positive culture in the home.
The management and care team ensured they supported people in a person-centred way to reflect people's equality and diverse needs.
The quality of care provided was continually assessed, reviewed and improved. People using the service, relatives and staff were given the opportunity to provide feedback. Audits took place to ensure the quality of the service was maintained.
The service worked well with health and other professionals to ensure people's needs were met.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This is the first rating of this service. The service was registered with us on 13 September 2019.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection as the service had not previously received a 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.