Pendle Support Limited

Updated 20 December 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. This service also provides care and support to people living in 3 ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours' notice of our inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people who use the service and 8 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 9 staff including the registered manager, care coordinator and care workers. We visited 1 of the supported living services to observe how staff provided support for people and better understand their experiences of the care they received.

We reviewed a range of records including records relating to medicines, staff recruitment, support plans, risk assessments, accidents and incidents and safeguarding logs. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service including audits and policies and procedures.

Updated 20 December 2023

About the service

Pendle Support Limited is registered to provide both supported living services and domiciliary care services to people who require personal care. The service provides support to younger adults and older people with a physical disability, sensory impairment, learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were 126 people using this service, including 38 people who were receiving personal care. The service supported people in their own homes and across 3 supported living sites.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is to help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right Support

Lessons learnt took place following on from an incident. However, the records were not always updated to reflect this. The registered manager was looking into implementing a more robust system. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Views on staffing levels were mixed and the provider was in the process of recruiting more staff. Recruitment processes were managed safely, and we were assured IPC practices were safe. Staff supported people to eat and drink in line with their preferences and to enjoy meaningful activities. Staff treated people with dignity and respect.

Right Care

Medicines were not always being managed safely. People’s needs were assessed prior to them starting to use the service and care plans included people’s goals and ambitions for the future. People were treated well, and their individuality was respected. Training completion rates were high. No one at this service was receiving end of life care. However, staff had not had training in this area. This was rectified during the inspection process.

Right Culture

Governance systems were not always effective at improving the quality and safety of the service. Audits were either not in place or did not identify concerns found during the inspection process. Staff did not always attend regular meetings and supervision and felt there was a lack of communication between themselves and the office. We made a recommendation about this. There was a complaints procedure in place and people felt comfortable raising concerns. The registered manager was described as approachable. Staff were aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and felt comfortable raising concerns. People’s communication needs were considered.

For more details, please see the full report for Pendle Support Limited which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 8 December 2017)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to medicines and good governance. We made recommendations in relation staff engagement with the service and management team.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.