About the service Surrey and Hants Domiciliary Care Agency provides care and support to people living in supported living settings, and to people living in their own homes in the community, so that they can live as independently as possible and remain in their homes. The service supports people with a learning disability and/or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection eight people received support.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
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. People were asked for their consent to their care and staff supported them to make their own decisions.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
People’s experience of using this service:
People were happy with the care they received and felt relaxed with staff, they told us they were treated with kindness. People said they felt safe, were well supported and there were sufficient staff to care for them. A relative told us, “Everything is fantastic and positive, it comforts me to know that they are not just caring for [my relative] now, but looking towards his future as well”.
People’s independence was promoted and they told us their needs were met. People had a regular team of care staff who arrived on time and knew them well. A relative told us, “They give [my relative] the opportunity to do so many different things. Everything they do is with her in mind and what makes her happy and independent”.
People felt they were offered choice in the way their care was delivered and that they had no concerns around their dignity and privacy in their own homes being respected. A relative told us, “The care is really good, I can’t fault them. I know that [my relative] is happy and that’s the best thing, that makes me happy”.
Staff had received essential training and feedback from people indicated that they knew the best way to care for people in line with their needs and preferences. 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.
The provider had systems of quality assurance to measure and monitor the standard of the service and drive improvement. These systems also supported people to stay safe by assessing and mitigating risks, ensuring that people were cared for in a person-centred way and that the provider learned from any mistakes.
People told us they thought the service was well managed and they received high quality care that met their needs and improved their wellbeing from dedicated and enthusiastic staff. A relative told us, “They are a big company, but you wouldn’t know it, as they are really personal and it feels like they are a small company just specialising for [my relative]”.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 11 January 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.