13 September 2023
During an inspection looking at part of the service
142 St Marks Road (also known as Marcus & Marcus) is a supported living service providing personal care. The service provides specialist support and personal care to people with a learning disability, autistic people and people with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection there were 112 people supported with personal care, living in 41 different properties.
People’s experience of the service and what we found:
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.
Right support
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. Restrictions were reviewed and creative solutions sought to reduce their use.
Staff maintained exceptional focus on people's strengths and promoted what they could do, this meant people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life and opportunities for new experiences. People were supported by staff to achieve their aspirations and pursue their interests. Staff sought opportunities for people to increase their choice and control through environmental and equipment changes, improved communication tools and strategies and skill development. Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community. Staff worked collaboratively with people and their circles of support to review progress and find solutions to obstacles.
The service made reasonable adjustments so people could be fully involved in discussions about how they received support.
Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence and achieved the best possible health outcomes. People played an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing. All restraint and restrictions were recorded and reviewed. Staff learned from these incidents and actions were taken to reduce the chances of people becoming distressed.
Right care
Staff demonstrated effective skills in communication and behavioural support strategies. Staffing levels were adjusted to suit the needs and choices of people. People’s needs were assessed holistically and modelled on best practice, considering individualised approaches to deliver the best outcomes for people.
People's equality and diverse needs were consistently promoted. Staff understood people's individual needs and a multi-cultural workforce provided culturally appropriate care. Staff protected people from poor care and abuse and worked well with other agencies to do so.
People's care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life. People received care that supported their needs and aspirations, was focused on their quality of life, and followed best practice.
Right culture
People led fully inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the provider, management and staff team. It was very clear staff were enormously proud of the work they did in supporting people. People received exceptionally good quality care and support because trained staff and specialists who genuinely cared about people, could meet their needs and wishes.
People were supported by staff who fully understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have. This meant people received exceptionally compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their individual needs.
Feedback from external professionals about the management team was extremely positive. There was a clear leadership structure, focused on supporting people to develop strategies to rehabilitate and achieve success in life. Staff were focused and inspired to achieve the aims of the service, for people to live as independently as they could whilst championing their rights for equal opportunities.
Staff ensured risks of a closed culture were minimised and people received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity.
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 19 December 2017).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for 142 St Marks Road on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow Up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.