Blue Pits Housing Action

Updated 10 April 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by an inspector and an assistant inspector. The inspector visited the office and looked at records and spoke with office staff. The assistant inspector telephone people, family members and support staff to obtain their feedback regarding the service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats and specialist housing. This service also provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, 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.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 11 March 2020 and ended on 23 March 2020. We visited the office location on 11 March 2020.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We contacted Healthwatch to obtain any feedback they held about the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, service manager, board member and support workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We contacted eight professionals who work with the service.

Updated 10 April 2020

About the service

Blue Pits Housing Action is a domiciliary care service and supported living service providing personal care to 10 people with a range of needs. These included physical disabilities, mental health needs, sensory impairments, substance misuse difficulties, learning disabilities and young adults. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

The service has been developed 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. 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 using the service received planned and co-ordinated person-centred support which was appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People felt safe and staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities. Individual and generic risk were assessed, and staff understood how to reduce risks and promote good infection control. Safe recruitment processes were followed and there was a stable team of staff who knew people well. There were systems for oversight and the registered manager ensured action was taken in response to any accidents, incidents medicines errors and safeguarding concerns.

People’s needs were assessed, and staff worked closely with other services and healthcare professionals to deliver appropriate support. People were happy with how they were supported to eat and drink, and care records contained information about people’s likes and dislikes. Staff were positive about the training and support they received and felt confident in their job. People were supported to have 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 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. People's support focused on people’s individual goals and supporting them having as many opportunities as possible.

There was a consistent team of staff supporting people. We were told staff were kind and caring. Staff knew how to promote dignity and encourage people to be independent.

People received individual care and were supported to engage in a range of activities. People felt able to raise concerns and these were investigated and addressed. Information could be adapted to meet people’s needs and people were supported to plan for end of life care.

Staff were committed to driving improvements across the service and worked closely with other organisations to deliver good outcomes. Feedback was obtained from stakeholders to drive improvement and people, families and staff felt able to contribute their views. Staff were clear on their roles and responsibilities and there were suitable systems for auditing and assessing the quality of the service.

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 (16 August 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.