23 January 2019
During a routine inspection
Real Life Options - Tyneside Domiciliary Service is a domiciliary care agency which provides care to people living in their own homes. Most people lived in supported living style accommodation because they required care up to 24 hours a day. It also provided an outreach service to adults and children. At the time of our inspection 31 adults and 5 children with learning disabilities and/or autism used the service throughout Newcastle, South Tyneside and Durham.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
People’s experience of using this service:
• Staff knew how to recognise the signs of abuse and reported their concerns in line with the providers safeguarding policy and procedures.
• The service was safe and the risks people faced were assessed and reduced wherever possible.
• The service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the ‘Registering the Right Support’ and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and/or autism using the service can live as ordinary life as any citizen.
• Staff focussed on giving people opportunities to become more independent.
• People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and were supported in the least restrictive way possible.
• The service was flexible and provisions were changed and adapted to meet people’s needs and choices. Good communication with external professionals ensured services achieved positive outcomes for people.
• People were very well cared for in the comfort of their own homes. Staff knew the people they supported well and they treated people with kindness, patience, dignity and respect.
• People participated in pastimes that were motivating and meaningful to them. Staff arranged activities to maintain people’s links with their local community and those which provided opportunity for social interaction with family and friends.
• The provider ensured the quality and safety of the service through regular checks and audits.
• The service met the characteristics for a rating of good in all the key questions we inspected. Therefore, the overall rating for the service after this inspection remained good.
Rating at last inspection:
At our last inspection the service was rated good. Our last inspection report was published on 9 August 2016.
Why we inspected:
This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received based on the last rating.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned for future dates in line with our inspection programme.