Allen Meale Way

Updated 11 December 2019

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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and one assistant inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in three ‘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 a short period notice of the inspection because some of the people using it could not consent to a home visit from an inspector. This meant that the service had to arrange for a ‘best interests’ decision about this.

Inspection activity started on Wednesday 20 November 2019 and ended on Monday 25 November 2019. We visited the office location on 21 November 2019.

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. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

The people who used the service were unable to tell us about their experience of receiving care and support however, observations of this were made throughout the inspection. We spoke with four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, one senior support worker and four support workers. In addition, we spoke to one health professional.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with one health professional who regularly visits the service.

Updated 11 December 2019

About the service

Allen Meale Way is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection they provided a supported living service to nine people living with learning and physical disabilities. Supported living is where people live in their own home and receive care and support to promote their independence. The service is provided over three locations, two of which were on the same site as the registered office.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The proactive and empowering culture within the service meant people achieved their potential with dedicated support from staff. Care was person-centred, individualised and inclusive and regularly reviewed. 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.

The service applied the principles of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

There were enough safely recruited staff to meet people’s needs in a timely and appropriate manner. The risks people may be exposed to had been identified and mitigated. Staff had a good knowledge of safeguarding practices helping to protect people from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm. People received their medicines safely and in line with good practice. Their health and nutritional needs were met.

People benefitted from receiving care and support from staff who were experienced and skilled. Staff had received specific training to meet the often-complex needs of the people who used the service and support was ongoing and effective. Their competency and performance were regularly monitored to ensure the quality of the service was consistent and of a good quality.

Staff supported people in a warm and engaging manner and used appropriate humour to strengthen rapport. They were comforting, kind and considerate. People were treated with respect and their dignity was maintained and consistently considered by staff who understood the importance of this. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible. Staff were skilled in communicating and understanding the needs of the people who used the service.

There was a stable management team in place who understood their regulatory and legislative responsibilities. They strived for improvement within the service and were open and receptive, working well with others. They felt supported and kept their knowledge up to date. People described the management team as approachable and knowledgeable. Staff respected their colleagues, worked well as a team and were effective.

An effective quality monitoring system had ensured people received good care and identified areas for continued improvement. The registered and deputy managers had a good oversight of the service and were committed to ongoing development of the service. This included being open when things went wrong and valuing people’s views and suggestions.

Relatives we spoke with were very happy with the service their family members received and health professionals spoke positively about the care and support delivered. One relative told us, “The care [family member] receives is brilliant.” Another said, “Everyone here are old friends. I’ve got no worries at all.”

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (report published on 7 December 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.