Luton Road

Updated 8 August 2019

The inspection We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

Our inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in a supported living setting, 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 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because people are often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

Inspection site visit activity started on 28 May 2019 and ended on 10 June 2019. The registered manager was not available on 28 May 2019 for the first inspection day, so we visited on 10 June 2019 to complete the inspection.

What we did before the inspection We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection We spoke with four people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the deputy director, registered manager, team leader and three care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We looked at three people’s care records including care plans and risk assessments. A variety of records relating to the management of the service including staff training, medicines management and quality assurance were reviewed.

After the inspection We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. We spoke with two relatives. The provider sent us documentation we requested.

Updated 8 August 2019

About the service Luton Road is a supported living service that was providing personal care and support to 11 people with learning disabilities at the time of inspection. People had their own self-contained flats across two buildings. Each building also had a communal kitchen, dining room, lounge and toilets. People in both buildings had access to a shared garden area.

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

People using the service were protected from avoidable harm and staff knew about safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures. The provider kept records of accidents and incidents and these were used to learn lessons and prevent reoccurrence. There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs and extra staff were rostered on when needed to cover appointments and activities. The service had it’s own bank of staff to cover staff absences. People’s medicines were managed safely and people were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection.

Staff were supported in their role with training, supervision and appraisals. People’s care needs were assessed before they began to use the service to ensure their care needs could be met. Staff supported people with their nutritional and healthcare needs. 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.

People and relatives told us staff were caring. Staff knew people’s care needs and described how they developed positive relationships. People had a named care worker who had overall responsibility for their care. The service involved people, relatives and their representatives in decisions about the care. Staff knew how to provide an equitable service. People’s privacy, dignity and independence were promoted.

Staff understood how to provide a personalised care service. Care plans were detailed and contained people’s choices and preferences. The provider assessed people’s communication needs to ensure these could be met. Staff knew people’s preferred method of communication. People and relatives knew how to make a complaint. The provider dealt with complaints appropriately. The service had a system to capture people’s end of life care wishes and was in the process of encouraging people and their relatives to contribute to these plans.

People and relatives spoke positively about the leadership in the service. The provider had a system in place to obtain feedback from people, relatives and other agencies about the service to identify areas for improvement. People and staff had regular meetings to be updated on service developments. The provider had a system of carrying out regular quality checks at the service to identify areas for improvement and areas of good practice. The service worked in partnership with other agencies to provide good outcomes for people.

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.

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 Good (report published on 22 December 2016).

Why we inspected This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor the 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.