Voyage (DCA) Solihull and Birmingham

Updated 9 March 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The comprehensive inspection site visit took place on 7 February 2018 and was announced. The provider was given short notice because the location provides a domiciliary care and supported living service; and we needed to be sure that someone would be available to spend time with us. One inspector carried out this inspection.

Before the inspection visit, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used information the provider sent us in the PIR in our inspection planning.

The inspection was informed by feedback from questionnaires completed by a number of people using the service, support workers and healthcare professionals. We also reviewed the information we held about the service. We looked at information received from the local authority commissioners and the statutory notifications the registered manager had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us by law. Commissioners are people who work to find appropriate care and support services which are paid for by the local authority.

During the inspection site visit at the office, the registered manager was not available to support the inspection. We spoke with the acting manager, the operations manager, the deputy manager and two support workers. We spoke with five support workers by telephone after our office visit. None of the people who were supported by the service were able to speak with us by telephone, due to their complex needs. However, we spoke with six of their relatives by telephone, to obtain a view of people’s experience of the service.

We reviewed three people’s care plans and daily records, and reviewed written records of the checks made when support workers were recruited and the training they attended. We reviewed management records of the checks that senior support workers and the registered manager made to assure themselves people received a safe, effective quality service.

Updated 9 March 2018

Voyage (DCA) Solihull and Birmingham provides care and support to people living in 12 ‘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.

Not everyone using Voyage (DCA) Solihull and Birmingham receives a regulated activity. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’, that is, help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection, 23 people were being supported with personal care at 12 separate addresses in Solihull and Birmingham. Seven people were being supported in their own homes and 16 people were being supported in shared houses.

At the last inspection in December 2015, the service was rated Good overall and in safe, effective caring, responsive and well-led. At this inspection we found the service remained Good in safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. The overall rating remains Good.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The Registered manager was not available at the time of our inspection. An acting manager had been appointed to manage the service in the absence of a registered manager, supported by the deputy manager and the operations manager.

Since our previous inspection in October 2015, we have reviewed and refined our assessment framework, which was published in October 2017. Under the new framework certain key areas have moved, such as support for people when behaviour challenges, which has moved from Effective to Safe. Therefore, for this inspection, we have inspected all key questions under the new framework, and also reviewed the previous key questions to make sure all areas were inspected to validate the ratings.

People were protected from the risks of abuse because support workers received training in safeguarding and understood their responsibility to report any concerns. The provider checked support workers were suitable for their role before they started working for the service.

People’s support plans explained the risks to their individual health and wellbeing and the actions to support them were agreed with the person, their representative and healthcare professionals. People had health action plans and were supported to obtain healthcare services when required.

The provider made sure there were enough support workers, with the right skills and experience to support people effectively, and in line with their agreed support plan. People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet that met their preferences.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and support workers supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies, procedures and staff training supported this least restrictive practice.

Relatives felt that people were supported by staff who genuinely cared for their relations as individuals. Support workers understood people’s diverse needs and interests and encouraged them to maintain their independence according to their wishes and abilities.

Support workers were happy working for the service. People were supported and encouraged to maintain their interests and links with the local community according to their daily preferences. Support workers respected people’s right to privacy and supported people to maintain their dignity.

Relatives could be confident any complaints and concerns they raised would be dealt with promptly. People and their relatives were encouraged to share their opinions about the quality of the service at annual service reviews and six monthly care reviews.

The provider’s quality assurance system included regular checks that people’s needs were met, checks of staff’s practice and audits of people’s medicines, finances and the safety of their home environments.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.