19 June 2018
During a routine inspection
At the last inspection the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.
The service did not have a registered manager as they had left the service on the 25 May 2018. There were two acting managers in post who we spent time with discussing the service provision.
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.
The service had been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. We saw that people with learning disabilities and autism who used the service were able to live as ordinary a life as any citizen.
We spoke with three of the twelve people who were receiving care and support and four relatives who all gave positive feedback about the service and the staff who worked in it. We saw that people were supported by a willing staff team who were encouraging, supportive and respectful.
People were encouraged and participated in various daily activities of their choice. Care plans were person centred and driven by the people who were being supported in their own homes. They detailed how people wished and needed to be cared for. They were regularly reviewed and updated as required.
Staff spoken with and records seen confirmed training had been provided to enable them to support the people with their specific needs. We found staff were knowledgeable about the support needs of people in their care. We observed staff providing support to people throughout the second day of our inspection visit when we went to one of the supported living homes. We saw they had positive relationships with the people being supported. There was a happy, warm atmosphere in their home. We saw that people communicated in specific ways and the staff were confident and competent at successfully communicating in the person’s preferred method of communication.
The acting manager understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions. We saw that people were supported to make their own decisions and their choices were respected and at all times the least restrictive option was taken. Assistive technology was in place to maximise people’s independence and ensure that their privacy and dignity was respected.
The acting managers used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included regular audits of the service and staff meetings to seek the views of staff about the service. The acting managers worked closely to support staff and people in the four supported living homes and provide quality support to staff to enable them to provide proactive, individualised care and support.