Background to this inspection
Updated
19 June 2019
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) 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 Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team: The inspection was carried out by an inspector and an assistant inspector.
Service and service type: The service provides care and support to people living in five ‘supported living’ settings, so 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 five days’ notice of the inspection. We provided the registered manager with an easy-read poster, including a photograph of the inspector, for use by care staff when reassuring the people who lived there, about the inspection.
What we did: Before the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). Providers are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We reviewed the PIR and other information we held about the service such as notifications. These are events which happened in the service that the provider is required to tell us about. We sought feedback from the local authority who monitor the care and support people received and local health care professionals. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During inspection: On the 28 May 2019 we spoke with eight relatives on the telephone. On 29 May 2019 we visited the service office where we spoke with four people who use the service, the registered manager, service improvement manager and four care workers. We visited two properties to observe staff interactions with people. We looked four people’s care records as well as records relating to the management of the home. This included staff records and health and safety records.
After inspection: The registered manager provided us with some of the provider’s policies and procedures, as well as their statement of purpose for our information.
Updated
19 June 2019
About the service: Melton Supported Living Service is based in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. It is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care to people in their own homes. They support adults who have learning disabilities, some of whom also have physical disabilities.
At the time of our inspection there were 13 people using the service.
The service supports people in five shared properties close to the office building. Night time support is provided by waking night staff, or sleep-in staff, in some of the properties. Properties without night time staff support have remote sensors in place which can summon assistance from waking night staff, in the nearby properties, if needed.
People’s experience of using this service:
People received kind and caring support from staff who knew how to meet their needs. We observed staff talking kindly to people and treating them with respect.
People were supported to take their prescribed medicines and care staff followed systems and procedures to ensure medicines were administered safely.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
There were sufficient care staff available to provide safe support and necessary pre-employment checks had been carried out.
The registered manager ensured that people’s care plans and risk assessments were amended following incidents to ensure that people were supported safely.
There were systems and processes in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse.
Care plans were in place which were updated as people’s needs changed. This meant that the care plans guided care staff to effectively meet people’s needs.
Care staff were well supported by the provider. They received suitable induction, training and had the skills and experience necessary to support people safely and effectively.
People were supported with their dietary needs and to get medical attention when they needed it.
People had personalised plans of care which gave staff the knowledge and information to support them in a way that people preferred.
The registered manager worked in partnership with others to ensure people received safe care and support.
People had the choice to engage with a variety of activities including local community social groups.
People, and their relatives, told us that the registered manager was approachable, and that any concerns they raised had been dealt with effectively.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The registered manager had a quality assurance system in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service.
Rating at last inspection: Requires Improvement: 11 June 2018
At the previous inspection we found that the service was in breach of Regulation 18; Registration Regulations 2009: Notifications of other incidents. The provider had failed to notify safeguarding incidents to CQC as is required by law.
Additionally, improvements were required in the handling of accidents and incidents. Care staff had not completed regular and effective training and improvements were required to the auditing of care plans and risk assessments to ensure they contained current information.
The provider had made the required improvements in all these areas.
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk