Supported Living West Midlands

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way which focused on people’s individual needs and wishes. People were encouraged to be independent and supported to help achieve their goals and aspirations by staff who knew them well. People were treated with kindness and respect.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People and their relatives told us they were treated with respect and dignity. One person said, “Staff are caring.” A relative told us, “Staff are caring and respectful.”

Staff told us how they supported people in a kind and compassionate way, respecting people’s privacy and dignity. One staff member said, “When delivering personal care, I close doors and I cover people up. If people are reluctant to receive care, I would leave it for a while and then try again.”

One external professional told us they observed people being supported to enjoy their interests. “[Name of service user] is able to go out in the garden when they want to.” Another external professional told us, “[Name of service user] needs are communicated through visuals to help them make choices.

Inspectors observed people being supported with kindness. Staff spoke with people in a respectful way and people responded to staff in a warm and friendly way.

We received mixed feedback from people and their relatives. Some relatives told us staff treated them as individuals and were familiar with their needs, preferences and daily routines. One relative told us, “[Name of person] does get to choose how they spend their time, they go with the flow knowing what [name of the person] likes and doesn’t. They have a list of their interests, and they offer a choice of two things to do.” However, some relatives told us people were not always able to do the things they wanted to do. One relative told us, “[Name of service user] is low on activities, only goes for a slow walk once a day if they are lucky”. Another relative told us, “[Name of service user] wanted to go to the pub yesterday for tea and ice cream which is a regular activity of theirs. But they actually took [name of person] to a supermarket instead because they needed toiletries which annoys me slightly.”

Staff understood people’s needs and wishes and treated them as individuals. One staff member told us, “We do things they like to do, [name of person] likes to play with shapes and toys and we play with them.”

Professionals told us things had improved since the current registered manager had been in post. They observed people being treated with kindness, compassion and dignity.

We observed staff provide people with the care and support they needed according to their individually assessed needs and wishes.

The provider had policies that put people at the centre of their care and treated them as individuals. Staff received training in person centred care. People’s care plans were up to date, personalised and contained detailed information about their likes, dislikes and how they preferred staff to meet their care needs.

People and their relatives spoke positively about the care they received and the positive caring relationships they experienced. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible, make day to day decisions about their lives and supported with learning daily living skills. People were supported to follow and take part in their interests, maintain links with the wider community and relationships that were important to them to promote and support their independence, health and wellbeing. A relative told us, “They do things [Name of the person] wants to do like fruit picking, car journeys, trips to the farm, shopping centre, bus and train journeys – overall things [Name of person] enjoys doing.” However, another relative told us, “There’s only one driver which makes it very difficult and so I’ll be the driver because otherwise they’ll be doing nothing! One support worker will take [person] on the bus because [name of person] very confident, but the others are new so less confident to take [name of person] out because of their lack of relationship.” We raised these concerns with the registered manager who confirmed the concerns were being looked into and resolved.

There was a shared commitment to the culture and values of the service. The service showed an understanding and commitment in providing person centred care and helping people to identify their goals. Staff were familiar and supported people with their wishes, capabilities and their preferred way of being supported. The service was committed to ensuring that people received person-centred care and promoting people’s choice and control of their lives.

We saw people supported positively to make day to day choices by staff. People were seen engaging with staff, and discussing their own needs and preferences and staff were timely in their response. Staff took time to understand people and how they wanted their care delivered.

The service provided people with personalised care according to their specific needs and wishes. Information included how people communicated and how others should communicate with them. Information was available in a pictorial format for people who required this. The service used different forms of communication to ensure people could express themselves and makes choices regarding their care. This included sign language, Makaton and non verbal gestures. People participated in care planning and reviews. This would also involve staff, relatives and other healthcare professionals. People’s needs were regularly monitored and reviewed. When a person’s needs changed, the service worked closely with healthcare professionals to ensure measures were put in place if additional support was required.

People told us they were confident staff would respond to a change in their health needs and that when they required support, staff responded quickly. One relative told us, ““They ring me and tell me anything that’s wrong. [Name of service user] swallowed something recently and they took them to hospital. They rang me straight way and it was all fine, these things happen. I’ve got no concerns.”

Staff took time to get to know people which helped them build positive relationships. Staff knew people well enough to recognise when there was a change in their physical or mental health. They were aware of the need to contact various professionals so additional support could be sought.

People were supported to stay healthy and well. Care plans detailed people’s health care needs and conditions and the action staff needed to take to keep them fit and well. Records showed staff ensured people routinely attended scheduled health care appointments and had regular check-ups with a range of health professionals.

Staff told us they had plenty of opportunities to give feedback and were confident their views and opinions were valued. Regular meetings and supervision took place, which enabled positive conversations. One staff member told us, “I have regular supervision and attend staff meetings. It gives us an opportunity for development and giving feedback”. The management team were aware of workforce diversity and gave examples of where adjustments had been made to support staff with their personal circumstances, health conditions or cultural needs.

The registered manager routinely used supervision and group team meetings to engage and support staff through any areas of concern or identify any training needs. We saw policies and procedures in place to ensure equality, diversity and inclusion was upheld. The provider told us they were fully committed to these principles and values and were a responsive service and were able to meet diverse needs.