Appley Community Support

Updated 17 May 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

The inspection was completed by two adult social care inspectors.

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. The provider had appointed a manager who had applied to CQC to become the registered manager. We have referred to this person as the manager throughout the report.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced.

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 22 April 2022 and ended on 3 May 2022. We visited the location’s office on 25 April 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who received support and a family member of a person who received care and support. We spoke with the manager, deputy manager and two staff members. We reviewed a range of records including care records and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance records, recruitment records, training information and policies and procedures. We sought feedback from health and social care professionals who work with the service.

Updated 17 May 2022

About the service

Appley Community Support is a supported living service providing the regulated activity personal care. The service provides support to younger adults with a mental health need, learning disability or autism. 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. At the time of our inspection there were nine people using the service although only one person required support with personal care.

Each person had their own self-contained flat with access to a shared communal area. Staff had access to an office with sleep-in bedroom and ensuite shower room.

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

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.

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.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. The model of care and setting maximised people’s choice, control and Independence. Care was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

Right Support

People were supported by staff who knew how to prevent and manage risks and keep them safe from avoidable harm whilst enabling them to fully enjoy life. The service's arrangements for controlling infection were effective.

Right care

Care plans were personalised, and ensured people received personal care and support tailored to meet their individual needs and wishes. People were encouraged to make decisions about the care and support they received and had their choices respected.

Right culture

People were positive about all aspects of the service. People said the staff and manager had a positive supportive approach. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. People were treated equally and had their human rights and diversity respected. Independence and skills development were actively promoted.

Recruitment practices were safe and people received continuity of care and support from staff they knew and who were familiar with their needs and wishes. Staff received effective training that gave them the skills to meet people’s needs. People were supported to access health and social care professionals if needed. The management team worked in close partnership with family members, health and social care professionals and other agencies to plan and deliver care and support.

The management team were open and transparent and understood their regulatory responsibilities. People, their family members and health and social care professionals felt the management team were approachable and supportive. There were effective governance systems in place to identify concerns in the service and drive improvement. The management team were responsive to feedback from people, staff and professionals and acted to make improvements in the service.

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

This service was registered with us on 5 February 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by the time since the service was registered.

Follow up

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