Background to this inspection
Updated
3 August 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.
As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.
Inspection team
Two inspectors conducted the inspection.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in nine ‘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
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure there would be staff available at the office to assist with the inspection and make arrangements for us to visit people.
What we did before the inspection
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authorities who work with the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We visited the office and one of the supported living settings. We spoke with one person who used the service and a member of staff at the supported living setting. We made observations of the care provided and looked at documentation within the home.
At the office we spoke with the registered manager and one person who used the service. We looked at records related to people’s care and the management of the service. We viewed four people’s support plans, daily notes and medication records, three staff recruitment and induction files, training and supervision information, and a range of records used to monitor the quality and safety of the service.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from management staff to validate evidence found. Over the telephone, we spoke with a further four members of staff and three more people who used the service. We also spoke with seven relatives about their experience of the care provided. We received feedback via email or telephone from four professionals who visit the services.
Updated
3 August 2021
About the service:
The Wilf Ward Family Trust – Supported Living (Outer York & Leeds) provides care and support to people living in nine ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live in their own homes as independently as possible. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 23 people with a learning disability, physical disability, sensory impairment and/or dementia.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found:
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 the Care Quality Commission 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 promoting people’s choice, control and independence. Positive risk taking was encouraged to ensure people lead full lives. Relatives and professionals described the service as person-centred and staff promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. There was a positive, open and inclusive culture.
People received a very responsive and effective service from staff who were well trained, very caring and attentive. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and people received their medicines as prescribed. Staff assessed and mitigated risks to people’s safety and wellbeing.
Staff received a comprehensive induction, on-going training, supervision and appraisal to continually develop their skills. People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet. Staff were proactive and worked very well with healthcare professionals to ensure people’s holistic needs were met. This had resulted in particularly positive outcomes for some people.
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. Staff sought people’s consent and were skilled at understanding and respecting people’s choices. This included using a range of communication aids to enable people to express themselves.
Support plans contained good information about people’s needs, preferences and goals. People were supported to participate in a range of leisure, education and employment activities. There was a system to ensure any complaints people raised were investigated and responded to.
There was a robust quality assurance system in place, with a very clear emphasis on continual improvement and delivering a high-quality service. People were involved in the provider’s quality assurance process and their feedback was used to develop the service.
The service benefitted from a strong, visible management team. Staff felt very supported and enjoyed their work. Relatives and visiting professionals were unanimous in their praise of the service.
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 20 November 2019 and this is the first inspection.
The supported living settings were previously registered under one of the provider’s other registered locations ‘The Wilf Ward Family Trust Domiciliary Care York’.
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on the date of the provider’s registration.
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.