The inspection took place on 29 October 2015 and was announced. The inspection was announced as this domiciliary care agency supports people in supported living settings and we wanted to make sure that someone would be available when we visited.
Vange Place supports people with a Learning disability and this support includes support with personal care, shopping, domestic and social activities. On the day of our visit there were five people using the domiciliary service in two settings.
There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People told us they felt safe in their home. Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and were clear about the whistleblowing and safeguarding processes.
Risks were identified and steps taken to minimise the impact on individuals. People were involved in decision making about risks and there were clear arrangements in place for emergencies.
People told us they received support from a stable staff team who knew them well. They were clear about how and when they were supported and we saw that when people’s needs changed there were processes in place to review the levels of support. Recruitment processes were thorough and offered protection to people.
New staff received an induction for the role and ongoing training was in place to further develop staff’s knowledge and skills. Staff told us they were well supported through supervision and staff meetings.
Staff had a good understanding of consent and the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. People were supported to cook and eat a balanced diet. Information was maintained about people’s health care needs, and people were supported to access ongoing support.
People were comfortable when staff were present and interactions were caring and respectful. Independence was promoted and people were provided with information in a way that they could understand.
Care plans identified peoples preferences and care was delivered in a person centred way. People were encouraged to maintain relationships with friends and family and follow a range of interests.
There was a positive culture, people told us that they were happy and had a say in how the service was run. Staff were well motivated and were encouraged to reflect on how care was provided and contribute to the service development. The provider had a quality assurance system in place to drive improvement.