CLIA Care

Updated 26 November 2022

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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in 6 ‘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 the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 15 November 2022 and ended on 17 November 2022. We visited the location’s service on 15 November 2022.

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 1 person using the service and 4 relatives to gather their views. We spoke with 6 staff members, including care workers, the I.T specialist, the service facilitator, associate director and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records, including 3 care plans, 3 medicines administration records, 3 staff files and accident and incidents. After the inspection, we contacted 6 healthcare professionals to gather their views of the service. The provider sent us other records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, rotas and audits.

Updated 26 November 2022

About the service

Clia Care (Disraeli Lodge) is a ‘supported living service’ providing personal care to people in supported living schemes, so that people can live in their own homes as independently as possible. The service provides support to people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection 5 people were receiving personal care.

The service has 6 locations whereby people have their own bedrooms in an adapted house and share communal areas. 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.

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

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

Right Support

People were kept safe from avoidable harm because staff knew them well and understood how to protect them from abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. The service had enough staff, including for one-to-one support for people to take part in activities and visits how and when they wanted. People received support from staff to make their own decisions about medicines wherever possible.

Right Care

Staff supported people to express their views using their preferred method of communication. People had the opportunity to try new experiences, develop new skills and gain independence.

Right Culture

Staff provided people with personalised, proactive and co-ordinated support in line with their communication and support plans. The registered manager worked hard to instil a culture of care in which staff truly valued and promoted people's individuality, protected their rights and enabled them to develop and flourish. Staff felt respected, supported and valued by senior staff which supported a positive and improvement-driven culture.

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.

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 10 October 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Clia Care Disraeli Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has not changed. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

Enforcement and recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection.

We have made a recommendation in relation to medicines management.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.