Northumberland Mid & North Domiciliary Care Agency provides care and support to people living in 'supported living’ settings, so that they could 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. At the time of this inspection, the service provided personal care to 13 people. The inspection took place on 26 October and 9, 14 and 28 November 2018. The inspection was announced. We gave the provider notice because the service provided support to people in their own homes. We wanted to make sure someone would be available at the office to arrange visits for us to meet people.
At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found that the service had improved to outstanding overall.
The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.
A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.
The provider's vision and values were person-centred to make sure people were at the heart of the service. This vision was driven by the exceptional leadership of the registered manager and management team.
People and relatives were extremely positive about the caring nature of staff. Staff used inclusive ways of communicating with people so they were supported to take ownership of their care and support.
Staff encouraged, recognised and celebrated people's successes. The service held celebration and reflection events at people’s homes to recognise people's achievements and progress towards the outcomes they wanted. The promotion of privacy, dignity and independence was at the heart of the service's culture and values. It was embedded in everything that the service and its staff did.
People and relatives described the responsiveness of staff as outstanding. The service was exceedingly flexible and responsive to people's individual needs and preferences. Staff found inclusive ways to meet people's needs and enable them to live as full a life as possible. A creative activities programme was in place to help meet people's social needs.
People were actively encouraged to give their views and raise concerns or complaints. There was a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to complain. Various inclusive feedback systems were in place to obtain people's views.
Staff were highly skilled and knowledgeable. Comprehensive training was in place to guide and inform staff in the most effective approaches to ensure the best possible outcomes for people. People were offered and attended the same training as staff. They also undertook bespoke and additional training which met their particular needs.
People were supported to take part in the recruitment of staff to ensure prospective staff had the values and skills which met their needs and preferences.
There was a strong emphasis placed upon the importance of eating and drinking to maintain health and promote well-being. Staff ensured that people experienced the best possible healthcare outcomes. The provider’s “Getting it Right Charter” listed statements to help ensure that people with a learning disability had an equal right to healthcare.
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 service had a very flexible approach to any restrictions it imposed on people and kept them under constant review.
There was a strong emphasis on continually striving to improve. Audits were carried out by staff and people on all aspects of the service. The service and provider sought to ensure that people experienced the best possible outcomes through research, following best practice guidelines and consultation.