24 March 2016
During a routine inspection
Knowsley Network supports adults with a learning disability to live as independently as possible in their own homes. The level of support provided varies in line with the needs of the person. This ranges from sessional support of a few hours, up to 24 hour support including night support. People are supported with all aspects of daily living including; personal care, social activities, homemaking and support with finances. The service supported 33 people at the time of this inspection.
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.
The last inspection of Knowsley Network took place in October 2013 and we found that the service was meeting all of the regulations assessed.
People who used the service felt safe and protected from harm. Staff knew how to respond to any concerns they had about people’s safety. Safeguarding information, policies and procedures were readily available which staff understood. Staff had received training in safeguarding people.
Risks people faced were assessed, identified and planned for. This included risks associated with daily living and activities people took part in around the community.
People were supported by staff that were appropriately trained and supported. Staff felt they received appropriate training for their role.
The registered provider had a detailed recruitment and selection procedure which helped ensure that only people of suitable character to work with vulnerable adults were employed at the service.
People felt well cared for and that their privacy and dignity were respected by the staff that supported them.
People were encouraged and supported to participate in daily living routines and get out and about within their local community.
Each person had an individual person centred care plan that detailed their lifestyle choices, needs and wishes. These documents gave information to staff as to how a person wanted to be cared for.
Several systems were in place to help the registered manager and the registered provider assess the quality of the service people received. These systems included carrying out regular checks on people’s care planning documents and asking people their views on how they were cared for.
Policies and procedures were in place to guide people who use the service and the staff team in relation to safe and current best practice.
People who used the service and staff felt that the registered manager was easy to approach.