Background to this inspection
Updated
15 January 2020
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in three ‘supported living’ settings and those living in their own homes, 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.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission who was also the provider. This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 16 December 2019 and ended on 20 December 2019. We visited the office location on 17 and 20 December 2019
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with four people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of care staff, a team leader, the registered manager, the office personal assistant, the compliance officer and the nominated individual who was also the Chief Executive. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
We reviewed a range of data and records. This included three people’s care records and three people’s medication records. We also reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service such as quality assurance, training and recruitment.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.
Updated
15 January 2020
About the service
Way Ahead Support Services is a supported living service. This is where people live in their own homes and receive care and/or support in order to promote their independence. Three properties were owned by the provider, but people’s care and housing were provided under separate contractual agreements. One of these properties was a shared bungalow and the other two properties were self-contained flats.
All properties were close to local amenities and people were supported to be part of their local community and live as independently as possible. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living. This inspection looked at people’s personal care and support only. At the time of our inspection, 17 people received personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also considered any wider social care provided.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People felt protected from the risk of abuse because they were supported by kind and caring staff. Staff understood their responsibility to keep people safe and to report any concerns they might have about a person’s welfare.
People were encouraged to pursue hobbies and activities of interest to them and were encouraged to maintain relationships with people who were important to them to reduce isolation and loneliness. Where a person’s needs changed suddenly, the provider was extremely flexible in adapting the staffing levels to ensure people had the care and support they needed.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
Risks to people’s health and wellbeing had been identified, assessed and monitored. Records provided staff with information about people’s individual risk’s and what staff needed to do to minimise these risks. Medicines were managed and administered safely, and people told us they received their medicines as they should. Staff understood their responsibility to follow good infection control practices and encouraged this with the people they supported.
People told us they received support in line with their assessed needs and records confirmed there were enough staff to meet these needs. People were supported to express their views and were involved in making decisions about their care. 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 providers policies and systems in the service supported this practice
Staff received training in order to complete their role well and had the right skills to support people in the way people preferred. People’s care and support had been planned in partnership with them and where appropriate, their families. Records showed referrals had been made to other healthcare professionals when necessary to ensure people remained well.
People told us they had enough to eat and drink, and staff respected their choices. Care plans promoted a healthy diet and included information about people’s nutrition and hydration risks and preferences.
The provider had systems and processes in place to monitor and improve the quality of care provided. We found some care records had not been updated in a timely way, but a plan was in place to review this following our inspection.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 29 June 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.