Creative Support - Danesfield

Updated 9 July 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

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 registered manager with the Care Quality Commission. This means they and the provider will be 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 48 hours' notice of the inspection visit. This is because some of the people using the service are out and about during the day. We needed to make sure people would be available for us to talk with.

What we did

Before the inspection we reviewed the information, we held about the service. This included the statutory notifications sent to us by the registered provider about incidents and events that had occurred at the service. A notification is a report about important events which the service is required to send to us by law.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We sought feedback from the local authority commissioning and safeguarding adult’s team along with visiting professionals. We also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England

During the inspection

We looked at two care plans with supporting daily notes, and three medicine administration records (MAR). We spoke with two people who used the service, the registered manager, team leader and two care staff. We also looked at records involved with the day to day running of the service which included staff recruitment files, audits, staff training records along with records of incidents, accidents and complaints.

After inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found and this was done in a timely manner. We also spoke with two relatives to obtain their views of the service

Updated 9 July 2019

About the service

Danesfield is a supported living service providing care and support for up to 15 people. At the time of inspection there were 11 people receiving care and support. The service provided support to people with learning disabilities including autism. The service included one main building which contained 13 self-contained apartments and in addition there are two separate self-contained bungalows. People had access to shared facilities such as the laundry room and communal social areas.

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 living at Danesfield received a good level of care and their relatives confirmed this. Staff knew and fully understood people's needs.

People said they felt safe. The provider had safeguarding policies and procedures in place and records confirmed this process was followed. People told us there were enough staff to look after them. A robust recruitment process was in place. Care plans included individual risk assessments, which were regularly reviewed to keep people safe and to encourage and support people’s independence. People’s medication was managed safely

The provider worked closely with various healthcare professionals. People also had access to healthcare services such as GPs, dieticians and dentists.

Staff received support from the registered manager and team leader via supervision meetings and team meetings. Staff also had access to training which supported them in their role.

People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and people told us staff encouraged them to choose healthy options when they were supported with their grocery shopping. The service was very clean and well furnished. People had their own self-contained apartments which were well decorated and were very personal to the person living there. People also had access to communal areas within the service where they could sit and chat or watch TV with their friends.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure 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.

People and their relatives (where possible) were involved in the creation of care plans. Care plans were reviewed and updated on a monthly basis or sooner if people's needs changed.

People were encouraged to provide feedback of their experience via regular tenant’s meetings. Relatives meetings were also held to allow for the provider to share updates and listen to any feedback relatives wished to provide.

People were encouraged to live their lives as independently as possible and staff supported people to achieve this.

People, staff, and relatives spoke for the majority in positive terms, about the registered manager and team leader. Staff said the registered manager and team leader were both supportive and approachable.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 4 May 2018 and this was the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection following the provider's registration.

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.