Background to this inspection
Updated
19 December 2019
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
The service provides care and support to people living in ‘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.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider 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 short notice of our inspection so they could provide people who used the service with the opportunity to meet with us and to ensure we could gain access to the documentation that was maintained by the service.
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. 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 eight people who used the service about their experience of the care and support provided. We spoke with 15 members of staff including the registered manager, three service managers, three senior support workers and eight support workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
Updated
19 December 2019
About the service
Consensus Community Support Limited is a supported living service providing personal care to adults with learning disabilities, autism and other complex needs. At the time of the inspection 24 people were being supported.
People lived in their own accommodation either in a flat within a complex, a house with shared communal areas or a flat or bungalow in the community.
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 continued to benefit from an excellent well-led service providing outstanding care, extremely responsive to meeting people’s individual needs. People were at the heart of everything and played an active role in shaping their own lives.
Staff were highly motivated to support people to achieve their goals and aspirations. Staff spoke fondly of people and were proud of what they had achieved. There was a real ‘can do’ attitude. Staff were well trained and very well supported to develop their skills and knowledge which benefitted the people they supported. They were innovative in their approaches and thought ‘outside the box’ to help people achieve their goals.
The feedback from people and their families was overwhelmingly positive with a consistent theme that people felt cared for and empowered to do what they wished. People were involved in the recruitment of staff and took control as to which staff were suited to support them with the various activities they undertook.
People were treated as individuals and were valued and respected. They were involved in monitoring and maintaining quality standards within their own homes. The staff ensured that people’s privacy and dignity was protected and spent time getting to know people well.
The registered manager led by example and ensured staff appointed shared their ethos of providing good quality care and support, valuing staff for their individuality and what they could bring to enhancing people’s life experiences. They actively sought feedback from people, their families and staff to continually look at ways to improve the service and were receptive to ideas and suggestions.
The systems in place to monitor the quality and performance of the service were highly effective and the provider was quick to address any shortfalls identified.
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 services supported this practice.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
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 Outstanding (published 6 May 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.