We inspected the service on 3 February 2016 and the visit was announced. Melton Supported Living Service provides domiciliary care for up to 21 people with learning disabilities in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 21 people were using the service. The service is provided in different accommodation types including flats and bungalows. These were located near to the office where the registered manager was based.
It is a requirement that the service has a registered manager. 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. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in place.
People felt safe and staff knew about how to protect them from harm and abuse. The provider had a range of risk assessments in place to keep people safe although some needed reviewing. The registered manager had made arrangements to check equipment regularly.
People who showed behaviour that could challenge had plans in place to support them. Some staff needed an update to their training in this area. Accidents and incidents had been carefully looked at to try and stop them from happening again.
There was a plan for staff about what to do in an emergency. This included how to support people to evacuate their homes.
Staffing levels were appropriate to keep people safe and the provider had a thorough recruitment process in place. This included checking the suitability of staff before they had started working for the provider.
People received their prescribed medicines. Where people handled their own medicines, there were systems in place to support them to do this safely.
People received support from staff who had undertaken regular training. Some of this training needed updating. For example, where people had specific conditions that required specialist training, this was not always up to date. The registered manager made plans after our visit to make sure this would happen. Staff met with their managers and received regular support.
People were supported to make their own decisions where they could. However, where people may have lacked the capacity to do this, the provider had not carried out mental capacity assessments or best interest meetings. We were given information after our visit to show how this was going to be improved immediately. Staff showed a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and had received training in this area.
People had access to food and drink that they preferred and were encouraged to eat healthily. Where there were concerns about a person’s weight, specialist advice had been sought. People had access to a range of healthcare professionals such as their GP.
People told us that staff members were caring. We saw staff responding well to people. People’s independence was being encouraged and people told us that this was important to them. Staff knew about people’s communication needs and we saw staff meeting these when we visited.
Staff knew about people’s preferences and interests including their cultural needs. For example, one person liked listening to hymns.
People were involved in planning their own care where possible. We saw that people were given choices on a daily basis about things that mattered to them. For example, one person was supported to choose what they wanted to wear.
People were being treated with dignity and respect. For example, information held and shared about people was being undertaken in a careful and sensitive way.
People were involved in the assessment of their own needs where they could. Where they could not, others had been involved such as family members. People’s needs had been regularly reviewed.
People had support plans that contained information about their preferences and things that were important to them. For example, people’s routines were documented and we saw staff following these when we visited.
People were taking part in activities that they enjoyed. For example, people had been supported to go on holiday.
People knew how to complain and there was a complaints procedure available to them. Any concerns that had been received by the registered manager had been investigated.
Staff told us that they felt supported by the registered manager. Staff could offer suggestions for improvement through the regular staff meetings that had occurred.
Staff knew how to raise concerns about their colleagues and there was a clear policy in place for doing so.
The registered manager had sent questionnaires to people who used the service and their relatives to gain feedback on the service offered. There were also audits of the service. However, these required attention to make sure that they were regular.
The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities. For example, they had taken action following a safeguarding incident.