Norbury Avenue

Updated 21 July 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.

Inspection team

This 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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since they were registered. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We observed interactions between people and staff to help us understand their experiences of receiving care and support at the service. We spoke with three people using the service, the registered manager and two staff members. We also contacted two family members and one person’s advocate. We looked at records which included care records for three people, two staff files, medicines records and other records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 21 July 2022

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.

About the service

Norbury Avenue provides personal care for people who live in supported living accommodation. The people who use the service have a range of needs including people with a learning disability and autistic people. At the time of our inspection seven people were using the service living in one supported living setting. People rented their room from a private landlord and used shared facilities such as a bathroom, kitchen and living room. 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.

This service was previously registered with the Care Management Group. The current provider took over the management and operation of the service in November 2020.

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

Right support

Staff supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence 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. Staff supported people to take part in activities and pursue their interests in their local area. Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community. Staff supported people to play an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing.

Right care

Staff promoted equality and diversity in their support for people. They understood people’s cultural needs and provided culturally appropriate 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 and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life. 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.

Right culture

People received good quality care and support because trained staff and specialists could meet their needs and wishes. People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities autistic people may have. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. People and those important to them, were involved in planning their care. The service enabled people and those important to them to work with staff to develop the service. Staff valued and acted upon people’s views.

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 26 November 2020 and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 18 April 2019.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of right support, right care, right culture. This was a planned first inspection following registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Follow up

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