Archived: Consensus (2013) Limited- 55 Headlands

Consensus (2013) Limited- 55 Headlands provides care and support to people living with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs, including Prader-Willi Syndrome. People lived in their own accommodation either in a flat within a complex, a house with shared communal areas or a flat or bungalow in the community. At the time of our inspection there were 12 people receiving support with personal care.

People’s experience of using this service

Staff were very caring and knowledgeable about how best to communicate with people and to advocate for them to ensure their views were heard. There was a strong culture within the service of treating people with dignity and respect and staff spent time getting to know people and their specific needs before they provided them with care and support.

The registered manager demonstrated an excellent understanding of the importance of effective governance processes. There was a robust monitoring system in place to check the quality of the service and to ensure people were able to express their views. Wherever possible people using the service were involved in completing these quality monitoring checks.

There was strong leadership which put people first and set high expectations for staff. They were proud to work for the service and felt valued for their work. A positive culture was demonstrated by the attitudes of staff and management when we talked with them about how they supported people.

Staff had been highly inventive and proactive supporting people throughout the pandemic to stay safe. Staff had used games, easy read information such as posters and booklets and used social stories to help people understand more about COVID-19 and why restrictions had been in place.

There were comprehensive systems in place to make sure the service was safe. People were empowered to take positive risks, to ensure they had greater choice and control of their lives. The positive risk-taking approach showed staff respected people's right for independence and their right to take risks.

People were fully involved and supported to recruit staff and were able to choose the staff who they wanted to care for them. This ensured that successful applicants had the right values and skills to match the values that were at the heart of the service.

Training was developed around each individual to ensure staff had an excellent understanding of people’s needs and how to meet them. People’s health and well-being were paramount. Staff liaised with health and social care professionals to ensure excellent outcomes for people and had used innovative ways to help people overcome their anxieties about visiting health professionals such as a dentist.

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 had a very detailed assessment of their needs that was completed by using different communication aids before they used the service. They were actively involved in their assessment so they could make choices about the support they needed and wanted. There were comprehensive transition plans in place to ensure people experienced a positive experience when they started to receive care.

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.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support: People were supported to have choice and control of their lives. The model of care maximised people’s choice inclusion and independence.

Right care: People received truly person-centred care that was bespoke to them and based around their individual needs, dreams and aspirations.

Right culture: The registered manager and staff promoted a very positive, transparent and open culture. There was a strong culture within the service of treating people with dignity and respect and staff spent time getting to know people and their specific needs before they provided them with care and support.

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 the service under the previous provider was Outstanding, rating published on 19/12/2019.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection following a new registration.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.