Taunton Deane Support Services

Updated 12 July 2024

Taunton Deane Support Services provides care and support to people with learning disabilities and autistic people who live in their own homes. The service supports people who live in Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset. It is registered to provide personal care. At the time of the assessment the service was providing personal care to 18 people living in 7 separate settings. Some people lived in their own home; other people house shared. In 'supported living' settings people's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's personal care and support. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. Assessment activity started on 6 August 2024 and ended on 23 August 2024. We visited 3 settings (where a total of 10 people who received personal care lived). We met people who received personal care and spoke with 7 of them about the care they received. An Expert by Experience spoke with 5 relatives on the phone. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. At the last inspection of the service, published in April 2023, we found breaches of regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment and good governance. At this assessment we found significant improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Updated 12 July 2024

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 provider was able to demonstrate how they were meeting all of the underpinning principles of Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture. Right Support People received the care and support they needed to live full, safe and happy lives. Staff supported people with their medicines in a safe and effective way. Recruitment processes were safe. The provider had taken active steps to recruit and retain staff which had been successful. Staff had the skills, experience and knowledge to meet people's needs. Right Care People were treated respectfully and with compassion. People were seen as individuals and treated as such. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and ensured people were safe. People's care and support plans and daily records were being improved to ensure they accurately reflected people’s current needs and the care and support provided by staff. Right culture People and their relatives felt engaged, listened to and were happy with the support provided. People's quality of life was enhanced by a culture of learning and improvement. The registered manager provided strong leadership and led by example. The provider and the registered manager had effective oversight of all care settings.