Community Wessex - East

Updated 11 May 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by an inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in their own homes in ‘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.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 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 and be able to arrange home visits.

Inspection activity started on 12 April 2023 and ended on 19 April 2023. We visited the office location and people in their homes on 14 April 2023 and spoke with parents of people who used the service on 13 April 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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 (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We visited 5 supported living settings and met with 5 people who used the service. We spoke with 3 relatives on the telephone to ask about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with the nominated individual, registered manager, deputy managers, care co-ordinator, and received written feedback from support staff. During our inspection we observed care practices and the interaction between staff and people. We reviewed a range of records that included 3 people's support and care plans, daily monitoring charts and medicine records. We also looked at a range of records relating to the management and monitoring of the service. These included 2 staff recruitment, supervision and training records, staffing rotas, accident and incident records, meeting minutes and a range of the provider's audits, quality assurance records and feedback questionnaires and policies and processes.

The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Updated 11 May 2023

About the service

Community Wessex - East is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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. At the time of our inspection 5 people with autism, learning disabilities and mental health needs were receiving 24-hour support with personal care in their own supported living accommodation.

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 CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

Right Support:

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.

Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life.

Staff did everything they could to avoid using physical interventions and these were only used as a last resort in line with people’s plans. The service recorded when physical intervention was used, and staff learned from those incidents and how they might be avoided or reduced.

The service gave people care and support in a safe, clean, well equipped, well-furnished and well-maintained environment that met their sensory and physical needs.

Right Care:

The people we met during our inspection were able to use their preferred method of communication to express they felt safe and were happy with the care staff who supported them.

Relatives of people using the service told us their loved ones were kept safe from potential harm as the service regularly reviewed risks to people and, put measures in place to reduce the likelihood of harm. Records showed us staff encouraged people to be independent and take positive risks to ensure people lived as full lives as possible.

Staff knew people well and had been trained to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse. Staff knew who to raise concerns to both internally and externally and, felt confident to do so if they had any concerns.

People who had individual ways of communicating such as, using body language, sounds, sign language, pictures and symbols could interact comfortably with staff and others involved in their care and support. Staff had the necessary skills to understand them.

People’s care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs, and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life.

Right Culture:

People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments, or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs.

Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing.

People and those important to them, including advocates, were involved in planning their care.

Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving the person, their families and other professionals as appropriate.

People’s quality of life was enhanced by the service’s culture of improvement and inclusivity.

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 13/08/2021 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good (published on 1 April 2020).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.