Wigan Supported Living Service

Updated 28 December 2019

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 team consisted of one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in a number of ‘supported living’ settings, 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 three managers 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 two working days’ notice of the inspection. This was to ensure the provider and registered managers would be available to support the inspection and to allow time for people to be asked if we could contact them for feedback and complete home visits to speak to them in person.

Inspection activity started on 11 October and ended on 30 October, which was the deadline for staff to submit questionnaires we had circulated to capture their views. We visited the office location on 15 October and carried out property visits on the 16 and 18 October.

What we did before the inspection

Prior to the inspection we reviewed information and evidence we already held about the service, which had been collected via our ongoing monitoring of care services. This included notifications sent to us by the service. Notifications are details about changes, events or incidents that the provider is legally obliged to send to us without delay. We also asked for feedback from the local authority and professionals who worked with the service.

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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 15 people who used the service and 11 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 11 members of staff including the three registered managers, the nominated individual and care staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also gathered the views of an additional 21 staff members by way of a questionnaire.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 12 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 10 staff files in relation to recruitment along with a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, audits and quality monitoring information.

Updated 28 December 2019

About the service

Wigan Supported Living Service provides a service to over 130 older and younger people with a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder, physical disability or sensory impairment. The service covers 24 properties, ranging from single occupancy premises through to larger multi-occupancy apartment blocks located within the Wigan area. At the time of the inspection 122 people were using the service

Services for people with learning disabilities and or autism are supported

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 received exceptionally personalised care which met their needs and wishes. Care files contained detailed information about people and how they wished to be supported. The service supported people to set and achieve goals and fulfil their potential. Staff were proactive in identifying ways in which they could enrich people’s lives, through activities and events.

Staff were described as brilliant and fantastic, treating people with dignity and respecting their wishes. Staff had taken time to develop extremely meaningful therapeutic relationships with people, which had impacted positively on outcomes and people’s achievements. Staff thought nothing of donating their own time to ensure people received high quality care and had their needs met.

People and relatives were positive about the care and support provided by the service. People felt safe and well-cared for and relatives spoke of feeling at ease, knowing their loved ones were safe and receiving effective care which met their needs.

Staff had received training in safeguarding and knew how to identify and report any abusive practice. Staff were confident any issues would be addressed but knew what action to take should team leaders or managers not act on concerns.

Staff received a comprehensive induction, along with ongoing training to ensure knowledge and skills remained up to date. Supervision and appraisal, known as my time and my time extra within the service had also been carried out to provide additional support.

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.

The complaints process had been provided in an accessible way, to ensure people knew how to complain. None of the people or relatives we spoke with had raised a complaint, but were confident should they need to, this would be dealt with quickly and satisfactorily. Where complaints had been made, we noted these had been resolved timely.

The service used a range of systems to monitor the quality and effectiveness of the care and support provided. Action plans had been generated to address any issues.

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

Rating at last inspection

This was the first inspection since the service was re-registered with us in October 2018, due to moving offices.

Why we inspected

This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received. Newly registered services are inspected within 12 months of registration.

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.