25 January 2019
During a routine inspection
This service is a domiciliary care agency that provides care to around 50 people in their own homes.
This service also provides care and support to around 35 people living in six 'supported living' settings where they can live in their own home as independently as possible.
People’s experience of using this service:
The outcomes for people living with a learning disability who used the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support. For example, people's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
People we spoke with gave us positive feedback on the support and services they received. They felt safe and well supported by the staff teams and they told us they had no concerns.
People told us there were enough staff to support them and they judged that they were suitably trained and managed.
People told us they were satisfied with the way the staff helped them to manage their medicines.
We learned that people were protected from cross infection because staff had suitable equipment and training.
The registered manager and the senior team had a good understanding of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
People told us that they were asked for consent before interactions.
People had nutrition and hydration included in care plans and told us the staff helped them to eat well.
People told us they were supported to access health care support and to attend appointments. Staff were trained to call on the support of health care professionals for emergencies.
People told us that staff were caring and kind. Staff were trained in person centred care and in all the aspects of privacy and dignity. People could have the support of an advocate if required.
Good assessment of need and ability was in place. Care planning encouraged independence and skills building for some people. Care plans were detailed and people told us they had been involved with writing their plans. The plans included people's wishes in relation to their social life and we saw lots evidence to show that people were supported to go out and to make new friends in the community.
The service had a newly appointed manager who was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission. She was ensuring that quality services continued to be delivered.
For more details, please see the full report which is on CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection:
At the last inspection the service was rated as good. The last report was published in August 2016.
Why we inspected:
This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up:
We noted that although every staff member received annual training in how to move and handle people and objects, no staff members had attended more advanced training. The service used occupational therapists to support them with complex moving and handling.
We made a recommendation that the provider consider further training for some staff in assessing need, formulating moving and handling plans and in checking staff competence. We will follow this up as part of our ongoing monitoring of the service.