Blessday House

Updated 5 March 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Blessday House is a supported living service. This service 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 are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

Our inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 11 February 2020 and ended on 11 February 2020. We visited the office location and the supported living property next door to the office.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection, we reviewed relevant information that we had about the service including any notifications of incidents affecting the safety and wellbeing of people. A notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We also requested feedback from social care professionals.

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 the registered manager, who was also a co-director, the second co-director and one member of staff. We also spoke with one person using the service.

We reviewed documents and records that related to people’s care and the management of the service. We reviewed two people’s care plans. We also looked at staff recruitment and training records, incident records and quality audits.

After the inspection

We contacted one relative of a person using the service and another staff member for their feedback.

Updated 5 March 2020

About the service

Blessday House is a supported living service providing personal care to people with learning disabilities or mental health needs. At the time of the inspection, two people were using the service. People lived in a shared house with their own en-suite bathroom facilities in a residential area.

The service has been developed and designed 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. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

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

People were safe. There were procedures to protect people from abuse and staff understood how to report abuse. People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff followed infection control procedures. Accidents and incidents in the service were reviewed and analysed. There were suitable numbers of staff in the service and they were recruited safely.

Staff were provided with an induction to the service and received training to ensure they had the skills to support people. Staff received supervision to discuss their work and told us they were supported by the registered manager.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

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's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People were supported to lead a private life. Their human rights and equality characteristics were respected by staff. People were involved in decisions made about their care.

People maintained their health and nutrition with food and drink of their choice. The service worked in collaboration with health care professionals, to keep people in good health.

Staff were kind, respectful and caring towards people.

People’s communication needs were assessed. People were supported to avoid social isolation and maintain relationships with family and friends.

The service had a suitable procedure for people to make a complaint. There were systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service through consulting people and relatives for their views about the service and checking records.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 10 February 2018 and this was the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date the service first started to provide a service to people after registering with us. The service started to provide the regulated activity of personal care in August 2019.

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.