Background to this inspection
Updated
10 December 2015
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
The inspection took place on 9 and 10 September 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because we needed to be sure that someone would be available for us to speak to at the head office and also we wanted to make sure staff would be available to answer any questions we had or provide information that we needed. We also wanted the registered manager to ask people who used the service if we could visit them in their homes.
The inspection was carried out by one inspector and one registration inspector. The first day of the inspection took place at the head office of the provider [50 Popes Lane, Oldbury] as the provider had made an application to add this new location to their conditions of registration with us relating to personal care. A registration inspector accompanied the inspector of this service in order to consider this application. The service provides support to people in their own homes at four separate supported living facilities. The inspector spent the second day of the inspection speaking to people in their own homes.
Some concerns had been raised regarding this service and we planned to look at those areas during our inspection , for example the management of financial records and accurate record keeping. We looked at notifications that had been received from the provider about deaths, accidents and incidents and any safeguarding alerts that they are required to send us by law.
We spoke with three people who received support from the service, one relative and representatives from the local authority, the Black Country Learning Disability Service, the registered manager, the domiciliary care manager, the managing director, the safeguarding lead, two team leaders and three care staff.
We looked at the care records of five people who received support from the service, two staff files, training records, complaints, accident and incident recordings, safeguarding records, policies and procedures, medication records, rotas, staff supervision records, quality audits, surveys and tenancy agreements.
Updated
10 December 2015
The inspection took place on 9 and 10 September 2015 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice that we would be visiting the service. This was because we wanted to make sure staff would be available to answer any questions we had or provide information that we needed. We also wanted the registered manager to ask people who used the service if we could visit them in their homes. At our last inspection on 2 January 2014 the service was meeting all of the regulations that we assessed.
The service is registered to provide personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support and personal care to 29 people who were living in their own homes within four ‘supported living’ facilities within the community. Supported living enables people who need personal or social support to live in their own home supported by care staff instead of living in a care home or with family. The levels of support people received from the service varied, according to their assessed needs and levels of independence. Each supported living facility had their own communal area and an office for staff to use as a base.
A registered manager was employed at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People were supported by staff who had received training in how to recognise possible signs of abuse and how to report any concerns. Staff were aware of their responsibilities in this area and what actions they should take. All staff spoken with were confident that if they had to raise any concerns that they would be acted upon and dealt with appropriately.
Where recent concerns had been raised, we saw that lessons had been learnt and actions taken to ensure that people were kept safe from harm.
Staff were recruited appropriately and there were sufficient numbers to meet people’s needs. Staff had received induction training when they first started work and ongoing training was in place in order to develop their skills and ensure they had the skills to meet the needs of the people they supported.
People were supported to live their lives in the least restrictive way possible, staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act [MCA] and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards [DoLS], and what it meant for the people they supported.
People were supported with their nutrition and health care needs.
People told us that the staff who supported them were kind and caring and they spoke warmly of the staff and management. Staff enjoyed their role and the feedback they received from the people they supported.
Efforts were made to ensure that the staff who supported people were well matched with them. Prior to people moving into their new homes, detailed transition plans were in place to ensure the process was as smooth as possible.
People were involved in developing how they wanted to be supported and were encouraged to be as independent as possible and achieve their aspirations.
People were confident that if they had any concerns, they would be dealt with appropriately. We saw where complaints had been raised they had been responded to and lessons learnt, but recording of this was not always consistent.
The registered manager and staff group were described as supportive and approachable. Following recent concerns, lessons had been learnt and additional monitoring of the service had been put in place to ensure the quality of the service people received.