We carried out a review of the data available to us about Halton Supported Housing Network on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Halton Supported Housing Network, you can give feedback on this service.
At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.
People were protected from abuse and harm because staff understood how to recognise and report safeguarding concerns. Risks to people’s safety were assessed and mitigated. This included risks associated with people’s care and the environment.
The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. People had their capacity assessed appropriately. The service knew who had appointed lasting powers of attorney for either finances or health, and these people were asked to consent on behalf of the person if they lacked the capacity to do this for themselves.
Medication was managed safely. There were safe systems in place for the receipt, storage, recording and administration of medication.
Staff were recruited safely. The suitability of staff was assessed prior to them being offered a position. This included a check on their criminal background, previous work history, skills and qualifications.
Staff received training and support for their individual role to include robust induction, supervision and appraisals.
People told us the care provided was good and staff understood peoples' needs.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives which included details of their wishes in respect of their end of life care. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible and the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
There was a robust complaints policy in place to ensure people’s concerns and complaints were listened to and acted upon within a given timescale.
The service was well led. People told us the registered manager was open, transparent and supportive. Notifications and accident and incident forms were submitted as appropriate. There were effective quality assurance systems in place to make sure that any areas for improvement were identified and addressed.
Further information is in the detailed findings below
At our previous inspection in June 2013 we found the provider was meeting the regulations in relation to the outcomes we inspected.
Halton Supported Housing Network consists of 19 houses. The network provides accommodation with support in the community for adults with learning disabilities and physical
disabilities. It provides staff to support people in their own homes with a variety of support packages based on their individual needs. The network supports individuals to uphold their
tenancy agreement, participate in the community and to lead their lives in a purposeful, healthy and enjoyable way. At the time of the inspection there were 52 people using the service.
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.
People who used the service and their relatives were high in their praise of the staff and services provided. They told us that staff were kind and caring and had enhanced people’s lives.
We saw that staff had developed effective communication methods with people to meet their individual needs. We saw staff used verbal and non-verbal interactions to ensure people were able to speak their mind and have choices in all aspects of their daily life.
Care plans held detailed information about the individual’s needs and choices. They also held full risk assessments, which balanced the potential benefits and risks in order to support people wherever possible to live a life of their choice.
Staff recruitment was robust. The service used value based recruitment techniques and competency assessments to ensure wherever possible that staff had the right qualities to provide person centred care for vulnerable people. We saw that people who used the service were part of the interview process for potential employees, which demonstrated the service’s commitment to the culture of inclusion.
The service promoted a person centred approach to staff, starting with induction, shadow shifts and training and support throughout the probation period. This time was used effectively to listen to the people who used the service and reflect on staff’s practice to consider compatibility.
Staff training records were up to date and they showed that staff had been provided with all relevant training to have the knowledge and understanding of individual support needs and how to meet them.
People told us that they were supported by consistent staff who knew the people they supported very well.
We saw the service had good links with community specialist teams to enable staff to make necessary referrals in areas such as behaviour which challenged. These were followed up appropriately.
The service promoted healthy eating and supported people to take the lead in shopping, using menu planning and a pictorial shopping list. People were also assisted to eat safely and healthily using guidance from Speech and Language Therapists (SALT). Joint working on health initiatives were used such as Fresh Start programmes and local Weight Watchers.
The service had recently undergone some changes to its staffing structure and staff told us that this had greatly improved service delivery and staff morale. Staff said the registered manager led by example, was most supportive and they were proud to work for Halton Supported Housing Netrwork. Staff told us that they felt valued and empowered by the registered manager. We saw that staff worked well together. There was a no blame culture permeating throughout the service and the team motto was to provide the best support possible to enhance people’s lives.
We saw that updated policies and procedures to monitor the quality of the service had been introduced with a view to ensuring continuous improvement.
'We have house meetings with the staff' and 'The staff listen to our opinions and say if they can do things they will.'
Minutes of tenants meetings showed how people were supported to raise their views and opinions about their support. They had developed minutes with the use of pictures to describe the comments raised by people being supported to help improve the service.
Following our previous visit in 2012 the service had continued to be without a registered manager. However the provider had arranged for a temporary manager to provide day to day management of the service for the past two/three weeks. Staff generally told us they were very positive about the effects they had noticed to the service since the new manager had arrived. They were happy with the changes being made and they felt they could raise any issues and suggestions with the manager.
We also spoke to one relative to discuss their thoughts and opinions about the service. They were very happy about the service provided and told us they had very good communication links with the manager and all the staff. They told us the staff had supplied a copy of their relatives support plan and they were always included in all aspects of their care and support. They said 'the staff are like an extended family.'
They told us they would tell the manager if they were not happy with the service provided. They advised of the work they were doing with staff regarding 'end of life support.' They explained that staff tried their utmost to support their relative in all aspects of their care and support.