We inspected Autism Care Community Services (Lincolnshire) on 2 October 2015. The provider was given 48 hours notice to ensure that the people we needed to speak with would be available.
Autism Care Community Services (Lincolnshire) has its head office located in Birchwood near to the city of Lincoln. The office is situated in a block of apartments where some people who use the service live. The agency covers the geographical areas of Lincolnshire and Peterborough with core teams covering areas such as Gainsborough, Lincoln, Sleaford and Grantham. The agency is registered to provide personal care for people who live in their own homes or shared houses.
Services are provided for people who live with complex needs related to the autism spectrum, and learning disabilities. There were 12 people receiving a personal care service from the agency when we visited.
There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.
People felt safe with the support they received. Staff were trained to recognise when people were at risk and knew what actions they should take. Risks to people’s safety and wellbeing had been assessed and and plans were in place to manage them effectively.
Recruitment checks ensured staff that were employed were suitable to support people. However, there was not always enough staff in one geographical area of the service to ensure people’s social support needs were met safely. The provider and the registered manager were aware of this and had taken action to address the issue.
People received their support from staff who were appropriately trained to meet their needs, preferences and wishes. Staff felt they were well supported by the management team to carry out the responsibilities of their job roles. However, the registered manager was aware that formal supervision and appraisal arrangements for staff had not been delivered in a consistent manner. They had developed plans to improve the arrangements in line with the provider’s policy.
The provider had acted in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA), where people did not have the capacity to consent to their support and relevant guidance had been followed. People were treated with respect and dignity and supported to maintain and develop their independence.
People received appropriate support to access healthcare services and ensure they had good nutrition. Their choices and decisions were respected and staff upheld their right to privacy.
The service was run in an open and inclusive manner. People and the staff who supported them were encouraged to share their views about the services provided. People knew how to make complaints and staff knew how to manage complaints that were made. The provider and the registered manager recognised that arrangements for gathering people’s views and the information about making complaints may not always be suitable for some of the people who received support from the agency and they were exploring different methods of addressing this issue.
Systems were in place to regularly assess, monitor and improve the quality of the services provided for people.