Archived: Mencap - Liverpool, Knowsley and Lancashire Support Service

Updated 27 March 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 was 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 22 December 2014 and was announced. The provider (Owner) was given four days’ notice because we needed the organisation to ask people whether we could visit them in their own home. We requested to spend time with people face-to-face because some people who were supported by Mencap had complex communication needs. The 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.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the organisation. This included information which the provider had reported through to the Commission and other information the Care Quality Commission had received about the organisation from partner organisations and members of the public. We did not receive a Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

As part of the inspection we spent time in three supported living schemes that supported 10 people. We spoke with four people. Other people were either unable to verbally communicate with us, chose not to speak with us or were out in the community at the time we called. We spoke with a family member who was visiting their relative at the time of the inspection. We spoke with the registered manager and two service managers. We spend time with five care staff who provided direct support to people. We also observed how staff engaged and communicated with people.

We looked at the care records for two people who were supported by Mencap, three staff recruitment files, training records and other records relevant to the quality monitoring of the service.

Updated 27 March 2015

We undertook an announced inspection of Mencap - Liverpool, Knowsley and Lancashire Support Service on 22 December 2014. We informed the provider four days before our visit that we would be inspecting. We announced the inspection so the provider could check with people whether we could visit them in their homes and then organise those visits.

Mencap - Liverpool, Knowsley and Lancashire Support Service office is based in Bootle, Liverpool, Merseyside. The organisation provides personal care services to people with a learning disability who live in the community. At the time of our inspection the organisation was providing support to 62 people in 25 supported living accommodation schemes.

A registered manager was in post. 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 who used the service told us they felt safe and secure in the way they were supported by the staff. There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to provide a flexible service and to ensure people received the support at a time when they needed it.

Staff had completed adult safeguarding training. They were knowledgeable about adult abuse and clear about the arrangements for reporting any concerns they may have. They were aware of their organisation’s whistle blowing policy and said they would not hesitate to use it.

Rigorous recruitment processes were in place to ensure that staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff received regular training for their role and specific training in relation to people’s needs. Staff were up-to-date with their supervision and annual appraisal.

The consent of people was obtained before support was provided and staff worked in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

The assessments and support plans in place were personalised and provided detailed information about each person’s preferences, needs and aspirations. People were involved in reviewing their current support and making plans for future activities they wished to engage with.

Support was flexible and coordinated around people’s specific needs and preferences. Arrangements around meal preparation were primarily based on each individual’s food preferences and daily routines. We heard good examples about how people who shared a house were supported to plan their weekly shop and agree on a menu together.

Processes for routinely monitoring the quality of the service provision were established, including an annual survey and visits to the supported living schemes to check people were satisfied with their support arrangements.