We carried out a review of the data available to us about Nottingham DCA 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 Nottingham DCA, you can give feedback on this service.
Nottingham DCA service provides care and support to younger people living in their own homes and accommodation. 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. On the day of our visit there were 90 people using the service who had a variety of support needs such as a learning disability, physical disability or mental health condition.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found.
Support plans did not reflect that people were involved in their reviews and the use of person centred language could be improved. The use of positive behaviour support plans could also be improved to ensure staff were clear on how to support people when they became distressed. We made a recommendation about this.
People and staff told us they felt safe at the service. People received support to take their medicines safely. Risks to people's well-being were recorded and updated when their circumstances changed. Staffing was provided at safe levels that enabled people to access the community when they chose to with support.
People's rights to make their own decisions were respected. People were supported to access healthcare services if needed. Staff received training according to their preferred learning style and had appropriate skills and knowledge to deliver care and support in a person-centred way.
People told us that staff supported their privacy and helped them with independence and we saw staff offering to help people prepare their evening meals.
Systems to monitor the quality of the care provided were effective. The service had recently experienced some upheaval from a re-structure but the registered manager had a clear vision about the quality of care they wanted to provide. The service worked well with other community partners and there was a focus on reducing isolation and loneliness for people in their own homes.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
The last rating for this service was good (published 22 December 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
This announced inspection of Nottingham DCA was carried out on 17 and 18 October.
Nottingham DCA provides support and an outreach service to people in their own homes along with a supported living service based at three homes in Mansfield and the surrounding areas of north Nottinghamshire. The service provides support to people with autism, learning disability, physical disability, mental health needs, substance addiction and people transitioning between services.
The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our visit. 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 told us they felt safe receiving care in their homes from staff of Nottingham DCA and did not have any concerns about the care they received. Staff knew how to protect people from harm and referrals were made to the appropriate authority when concerns were raised.
Risks to people’s safety were identified and managed and assessments carried out to minimise the risk of harm. For example in relation to falls or environmental risks.
People received care and support in a timely way and there were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified and experienced staff employed. Appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out before staff began work at Nottingham DCA.
People who required support to take their prescribed medicines received assistance from staff to do so safely.
People were supported by staff who received training and support to ensure they could meet people’s needs. Ongoing training and assessment for care staff was scheduled to help maintain their knowledge.
People provided consent to any care and treatment provided. Where people did not have capacity to give informed consent their best interests and rights were protected under the Mental Capacity Act (2005). People’s wishes regarding their care and treatment were respected by staff.
People were supported by staff to maintain healthy nutrition and hydration. People had access to healthcare professionals when required and staff followed their guidance to ensure people maintained good health.
People were treated with dignity and respect and their privacy was protected. People told us they had positive, caring relationships with staff. Where possible people were involved in making decisions about their care and support.
Staff understood people’s support needs and ensured they received personalised responsive care. People knew how to raise a complaint and were confident these would be listened to and acted on.
There was an open and transparent management culture at the service. People, their relatives and staff were encouraged to have their say on their experience of care and their comments were acted on. Quality monitoring systems were in place to identify areas for improvement and ensure these were acted on.