Archived: Supported Living Services

Supported Living Services provide personal care to people who wish to live independently in their own or shared homes. The service covers the County Durham area and provides a range of care and support services to 129 people in 37 properties. People may have learning difficulties, mental health problems or physical disabilities.

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.

We spoke with the registered manager, four support managers and clerical staff, and met four support staff in three homes we visited. All staff told us that they felt supported. There was a regular programme of staff supervision and appraisal in place. Records of supervision were detailed and showed the registered manager and support managers worked with staff to identify their personal and professional development areas.

There were systems and processes in place to protect the people who used the service from the risk of harm. Staff were aware of different types of abuse, what constituted poor practice and action to take if abuse was suspected. Appropriate checks of the buildings and maintenance systems were undertaken to ensure health and safety of staff and people.

Risk assessments were in place for people using the service and the safety of staff members. Staff members told us of the systems they followed in case of emergency as they were sometimes lone workers.

Staff had been trained and had the skills and knowledge to provide support to the people they cared for and supported. There were enough staff on duty to provide support and ensure that people's needs were met. Staff were aware of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act [2005] and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards [DoLS] which meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity.

We found that safe recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work. This included obtaining references from previous employers to show staff employed were safe to work with vulnerable people.

Appropriate systems were in place for the management of medicines so that people received their medicines safely. We witnessed safe medicine administration in one home we visited.

There were positive interactions between people who used the service and staff. We saw that staff treated people who used the service with dignity and respect. Staff were attentive, showed compassion, were patient and gave encouragement to people.

People’s nutritional needs were met, with them being involved in shopping and decisions about meals. Individual likes and dislikes were supported with meal choices.

People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare professionals and services. We saw they were supported and encouraged to have regular health checks and were accompanied by staff to appointments.

People had a person centred plan which showed how they wished to be supported. Staff were able to demonstrate how these had been developed with people and they contained lots of information about people’s history and current needs and goals. They were also regularly reviewed and updated when required.

Staff encouraged and supported people to access activities within the community and also to maintain family and other important relationships.

The provider had a system in place for responding to any concerns and complaints. Staff told us they knew when people were unhappy and would take action to resolve this.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. We found that the service had been regularly reviewed through a range of internal and external audits. We saw that action had been taken to improve the service or put right any issues found.

During our visit we found people's privacy, dignity and independence were respected. We spoke with several people who used the service. One person told us, 'I needed to move out to a place of my own and now I can say who visits and who to let in.'

We found care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way which ensured people's safety and welfare. One person said, 'They check what we've said we want in the support plan to make sure it's done.'

The provider had made suitable arrangements to protect vulnerable people and responded appropriately to any allegation of abuse. One person said, 'I feel safe at this house.'

We found staff received appropriate professional development and had completed the providers training courses which helped to make sure they were well trained and that peoples' care was consistent.

We saw people who used the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about the care and treatment offered. The provider also had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive.

Everyone told us staff treated them with respect. One person said 'I like the staff.' Another person said I' would say if they did not treat with respect.'

People were supported to make choices and to develop independent living skills. One person said 'We can choose when and what to do.' Another person explained how staff had supported them to learn to cook.

People told us they never had a missed call and staff stayed for the length of time they had agreed to in their care plan.

During our visits we also had the opportunity of watching staff practices as they supported people. We heard staff address people respectfully and explain to people the support they were providing. Staff were friendly and very polite and understood the support and communication needs of people in their care.

People told us they felt able to say if they were unhappy. One person said 'I would have no problem making a complaint.'