Kings Lynn Supported Living

Updated 30 August 2017

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.

This inspection visit took place on 12 June 2017 and was announced. We gave the registered manager 48 hours’ notice of this inspection so that we could be sure that managers and staff would be at the services office when we visited. The inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector. Prior to the inspection taking place, information from a variety of sources was gathered and analysed. This included notifications submitted by the registered manager relating to incidents, accidents, health and safety and safeguarding concerns which affect the health and wellbeing of people. We contacted the local authority and we received no information of concern.

The provider returned the completed Provider Information Return (PIR), within the requested timeframes. A PIR is a form that asks the provider to give us some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used this information to inform our inspection plan. We visited two supported living homes where support was provided by Kings Lynn Supported living. We did this because we wanted to ensure people were supported in a safe environment which was responsive to their needs.

We spoke with five people to obtain their views on what it was like to be supported by Kings Lynn Supported Living .When people had limited verbal communication because of their disability we observed interactions between staff and people to understand the experiences of people who used the service. We spoke with three relatives and a social worker to see if they were satisfied with the care provided in the days after our inspection visit.

Information was gathered from a variety of sources throughout the inspection process. We spoke with five members of staff. This included the registered manager, a team manager and three staff who were responsible for providing care and support. To gather information, we looked at a variety of records. This included care plan files relating to three people who used the service and recruitment records belonging to three staff members. We viewed other documentation which was relevant to the management of the service including training records, medicines administration records, meetings from management meetings and senior manager's audits.

Updated 30 August 2017

This inspection took place on 12 June 2017. Kings Lynn Supported Living supports people who have a learning disability or mental health needs with personal care in their own home. Support is provided through domiciliary care home visits and also through the provision of supported living services. At the time of the inspection visit the service was providing support to 11 people.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

People and relatives told us they were happy with the service provided by Kings Lynn Supported Living. Staff were described as kind, caring and committed. Observations of interactions between staff and people who used the service demonstrated people were happy and content.

During this inspection people said they felt safe and that staff treated them well. Safeguarding adults' procedures were in place and staff understood how to protect people from the risks associated with abuse. Risks associated with peoples support were identified, assessed and recorded. Suitable recruitment procedures were in place. Staff told us they were unable to commence work without appropriate checks taking place. There was a whistle-blowing procedure available and staff said they would use it if they needed to.

At the supported living services we visited we observed staff responded in a timely manner and people did not have to wait to have their needs met. We observed staff demonstrating patience with people and taking time to sit with them to offer companionship and comfort. People were given time to carry out tasks as a means to promote independence and were not rushed.

Staffing arrangements were personalised to fit around the needs of the people who used the service. People told us support from staff was flexible and varied to meet their needs. This enabled people to have active lives in their community. We saw evidence of people being supported to take part in voluntary work and activities of their choosing.

Detailed person centred care plans were in place for people. Care plans covered support needs and personal wishes. Plans were reviewed and updated at regular intervals and information was sought from appropriate professionals as and when required. Consent was gained wherever appropriate.

People's healthcare needs were monitored and referrals were made to health professionals in a timely manner when health needs changed. We saw evidence good health was promoted throughout the service. Documentation regarding health needs of each person was detailed and concise. We saw evidence that the service worked with health professionals to ensure people's dietary needs were addressed and managed in a safe way.

We saw evidence staff had been provided with relevant training to enable them to carry out their role. Staff told us they received supervisions and appraisals as a means for self-development. Staff had received training in The Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Standards (DoLS.) We saw evidence these principles were put into practice when delivering care.

People were happy with the service provided and had no complaints. They told us they were confident any concerns raised would be dealt with efficiently and appropriately by management. We saw systems were in place for dealing with complaints.

The service had implemented a range of quality assurance systems to monitor the quality and effectiveness of the service provided. Systems were in place to monitor and manage risk. Risks were reviewed on a monthly basis and a record was kept to show reviews had taken place. Staff were positive about the way the service was managed. They told us the service was well-led and there was good communication.