Finefutures

Updated 17 April 2020

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

There was one inspector in the inspection team.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in a number ‘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 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

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. 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 four people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the provider, training manager, quality assurance manager, senior care workers and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and medication records. We looked at three 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 quality assurance records sent to us by the registered manager. We also spoke with three relatives by telephone.

Updated 17 April 2020

About the service

Fine Futures provides a service to people with learning disabilities, autism or mental health needs living in their own homes. People’s support is based upon the individual needs and can range from 24-hour care to a set number of hours each week.

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

People were positive about the support they received. People were familiar with the staff and felt comfortable in their presence. Staff had received training and understood the importance of protecting people from harm. Risks to people’s health had been detailed in care plans for staff to refer to. Risks had been reviewed periodically and in line with people’s needs. The registered provider had processes in place to recruit staff safely. Where appropriate, people were supported with their medicines. Staff received training on supporting people which was reviewed regularly. Support people received was monitored so that if improvements were needed, these were implemented.

People’s needs were assessed prior to them joining the service so that the registered manager had the correct support in place prior to the person commencing their care. Staff training needs were reviewed and monitored to ensure staff training was up-to-date. Staff were also supported with regular supervision meetings and encouraged to take up opportunities in order to further develop their career. Staff had good links with a number of healthcare professionals in order to seek further guidance when needed. 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 liked the staff supporting them and staff had developed a good understanding of their individual needs. People’s cultural and religious preferences were taken into account. Staff understood how to support people whilst maintaining their dignity and promoting their independence.

People were involved in regularly reviewing their care so that it met their needs. As people’s needs changed their care was adapted to reflect their needs. People understood they could speak to staff or the manager if they were unhappy about anything in connection with their care. Where appropriate, discussions had taken place about people’s end-of-life care needs.

People and staff felt able to speak and approach the registered manager to discuss any issues that were important to them. Staff felt communication from both the registered manager and registered provider was forthcoming and open. Systems were in place to review and check the quality of care people received. The registered manager worked with other stakeholders in order to further develop the service and deliver care based on best 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 requires improvement (published 09 Mach 2019).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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