Select Support Partnerships Ltd - Blackburn

Updated 7 September 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 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.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in 10 ‘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.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period of notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and people are often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us. This also allowed the registered manager to notify the people they support that we would be visiting. Inspection activity started on 12 July 2023 and ended on 19 July 2023. We visited the office location on 12 July 2023 and 13 July 2023.

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 (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people who used the service and 5 relatives. We spoke with 8 members of staff including support workers, senior support workers, deputy manager, registered manager, and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. During the inspection we visited the office and people’s homes.

We reviewed a range of records. These included care records, records relating to medicines, staff recruitment, training and supervision, accidents and incidents and safeguarding logs. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and policies and procedures.

Updated 7 September 2023

About the service

Select Support Partnerships Ltd Blackburn is registered to provide both supported living services and domiciliary care services to people who require personal care. The service was not providing domiciliary care at the time of the inspection. The service provides support to younger adults and older people with a physical disability, sensory impairment, learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were 33 people using this service. The service supported people across 10 sites in their own homes.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

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

Right Support

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. However, the policies and systems in the service did not always support this practice as consent forms were not always signed by the person or their advocate. We made a recommendation about this. There were enough skilled and experienced staff to safely care for people and recruitment processes were safe. We were assured IPC practices were safe. Staff supported people to maintain a healthy diet and encouraged people to prepare meals. People were supported to enjoy a range of activities by staff who knew them well .

Right Care

Medicines were being administered safely and although we identified shortfalls, these were rectified during the inspection process. People’s needs were assessed prior to them starting to use the service and these assessments were used to develop person centred risk assessments and support plans. People were treated well and their privacy and dignity was protected. People were encouraged to achieve their goals and felt included in their care planning. Although nobody at the service was receiving end of life care, records identified people’s advanced decisions.

Right Culture

The registered manager understood the duty of candour. However, we found incidents that should have been reported had been overlooked. The lessons learnt procedure could be more robust. We made a recommendation about the provider’s governance systems. Audits were in place and the registered manager carried out spot checks. Staff attended regular meetings and service users were invited to attend drop-in sessions where they could express their views about the care they received. The service worked well with a number of other professionals to ensure continued learning and information sharing. Staff were aware of the safeguarding procedures and felt comfortable raising concerns should they need to. People’s communication needs were considered and there was a complaints procedure in place.

For more details, please see the full report for Select Support Partnerships Ltd Blackburn which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 20 October 2017)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Recommendations

We have made recommendations in relation to consent and governance.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.