S&A Care Services Ltd

Updated 10 August 2023

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 carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in 3 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.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

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

Notice of inspection

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 registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who worked with the service. 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 and after inspection:

We spoke with 1 person who used the service to understand their experience of care. We also spoke with 2 relatives by telephone following the inspection. We looked at three people’s care records and medicines records, as well as other records that support the running of the service. We spoke with 5 members of staff, 1 care worker, the registered manager, two directors and also the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Updated 10 August 2023

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

S&A Care Services Ltd is a ‘supported living’ service and is registered to provide the regulated activity of personal care to people living in their own home. At the time of the inspection, 6 people with either a learning disability, disabled people and or people with dementia were all living in 3 different properties, and were being provided with personal care.

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

Right Support

People were supported to be safe. The service had systems and processes to keep people safe from abuse. There were risk assessments to monitor and mitigate risks to people. There were enough staff working at the service to support people. Staff were recruited with people’s safety in mind. People’s medicines were managed safely. There were infection prevention and control measures in place to keep people safe. Lessons were learned when things went wrong to ensure people were kept as safe as possible. People were supported to maintain relationships with others and take part in activities they enjoyed.

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. Consent to care agreements was in place as were records of best interest discussions to support people with their choices.

Right Care

People’s needs were assessed so the service could ensure they could meet people’s needs. Staff received induction and training to support people receive the right care. People’s dietary needs were assessed, recorded and met. Staff worked with other agencies, including health care professionals, to ensure people received the care they needed. Care was person centred; staff knew people well and provided care to their liking. Staff understood the nature of the service they provided and sought to empower people to make choices. People’s communication needs were met with access to differing documentation formats available.

Right culture

People and relatives spoke positively about staff and management and told us staff were caring. People and relatives were able to express their views on how care was delivered. People’s privacy and dignity was respected, and their independence promoted. There were systems and process in place to support complaints, which were viewed as a means to improve care outcomes.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Quality assurance measures were maintained to ensure care and support was provided at a good level. People, relatives and staff were engaged with the service through regular meetings and/or communication with the service. The service worked in partnership with other agencies to benefit people using the service.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

This service was registered with us on 07 April 2022 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture. This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.