About the service: Birmingham Supported Living & Community Based Services provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of inspection 11 people were receiving support with personal care eight of whom were living in supported living houses. Support co-ordinators managed the everyday running of the supported living houses and the registered manager had oversight of the service.People’s experience of using this service:
People we spoke with told us they liked the staff and that they felt comfortable in their home. This was supported in observations during the inspection.
Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Any issues identified were addressed to ensure quality of care was maintained.
People’s needs and risks were properly assessed with sufficient guidance for staff to follow in the provision of safe and appropriate support. Staff had person centred information on people’s preferences and choices with regards to their support. The support provided was personalised to them and their individual requirements.
Independence was supported and people were able to voice their opinions with various communication strategies. Consent to care and treatment was sought in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Medicines were managed safely and staff completed training and had regular spot checks regarding this. We saw that lessons had been learnt following checks made and this had improved practice.
Support plans documented people's nutritional needs and these were known and met by staff. People told us they always received their choice of food and enjoyed the meals prepared for them.
Staff were recruited safely and received regular training, received supervisions, attended staff meetings and had regular practice checks.
The registered manager and staff worked with other professionals and agencies to help ensure people's needs were met effectively. Advice provided was clearly recorded and followed by staff.
People’s privacy, dignity and independence was promoted. Positive relationships had developed between people receiving support and care staff.
The registered provider had a complaints policy in place. Information about the complaints process was provided to people. Safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures were in place.
More information is in the full report
Rating at last inspection: The previous inspection was carried out 04 August 2016. At the last inspection the service was good. At this inspection, the service was rated good again.
Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection as part of CQC’s inspection schedule.
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.