The Technology Centre

Updated 21 June 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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

One Inspector carried out the inspection.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in seven ‘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 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 activity started on 12 January 2022 and ended on 16 February 2022 We visited the office location on 13, 24 and 25 January 2022.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration with CQC. 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. 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 used all of this information to plan our inspection

During the inspection

We spoke with twelve people who used the service and eight relatives about their experience of the care provided.

We spoke with 24 members of staff including the nominated individual, registered manager, area managers, service managers, HR staff, positive behaviour support facilitators, senior support workers and support workers. We spent time observing the support and communication between people and staff in shared areas of the houses we visited.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and eight medication records. We looked at six 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.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with two professionals who regularly visit the service. We spoke with ten relatives by telephone.

Updated 21 June 2022

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

The Technology Centre is a domiciliary care service offering support to people within their own homes and also within supported living accommodation. They were supporting 18 people at the time of our inspection.

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

Right Support

The provider and registered manager showed immense passion for their roles and people were placed at the heart of the service. Everyone involved in the running of the service was passionate about delivering care that was person-centred and which gave people a meaningful life. The management and staff teams supported people to have the maximum possible choice and control to be independent and they had control over their own lives. Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life. People had a choice about their living environment and were able and encouraged to personalise their rooms. Comments from people included; "I love my flat, I have it exactly as I want it" and "I feel safe in my flat. I chose matching bed covers and curtains which I really like." Staff supported people to make decisions following best practice in decision-making. Staff communicated with people in ways that met their needs. Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence and achieved the best possible health outcomes.

Right care

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. People’s care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life. One person told us they had been involved in their care plan. People could take part in activities and pursue interests that were tailored to them. The service gave people opportunities to try new activities that enhanced and enriched their lives. Comments from people included; "I love going to the disco and I am going later today. I meet my friends there" and "I like to do different activities every day and staff support me to do this. I go to the gym, I go to college and go to boxing class. This is important to me."

Right culture

It was evident the values held by staff had been cascaded down from the provider and registered manager who showed great passion for making a difference to people's lives. There was a strong emphasis on people being empowered to be involved in the running of the service. People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff. People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs. Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. Staff ensured risks of a closed culture were minimised so that people received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity.

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

The last rating for the service under the previous premises was good, published on 18 December 2017.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

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.