Balance Care

Updated 2 July 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

Balance Care provides care and support to people living in ‘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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

A short period notice of the inspection was given. This was because we wanted to be sure the manager would be available to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, manager, five members of staff, two people receiving care, and one external healthcare professional . We viewed records relating to two people using the service and three records relating to the recruitment of staff. We also viewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 2 July 2022

About the service

Balance Care is a supported living service which provides people with care and support in their own homes, enabling them to remain as independent as possible. At the time of our inspection there were two people receiving support.

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

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 The Care Quality Commission (CQC) to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

Right support

The model of care and setting helped to maximise choice, control and independence. People are empowered to remain independent and are involved in the provision of care they receive.

Right Care

People's dignity, privacy and human rights were respected and supported. People received personalised care that was tailored around their likes, wishes and preferences.

Right Culture

The ethos, values and attitudes of leaders and care staff helped to ensure people were encouraged to live confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

People told us they felt safe receiving support from Balance Care staff. Managers and staff understood their responsibilities and the importance of keeping people safe.

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’s support needs and areas of risk were appropriately assessed and measures were put in place to ensure they received the most effective level of care, that was tailored around their needs.

People received care from a consistent staff team who were familiar with their support needs. Safe recruitment procedures were complied with. The suitability of staff was thoroughly assessed before they were recruited to support people using the service.

Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures and arrangements were followed to minimise the spread of infection. There was a COVID-19 continency plan in place and staff were engaged in routine testing regimes.

Safe medication administration procedures were in place. Staff were suitably trained to support people with their medications and compliance was routinely monitored.

The culture and ethos of the service was person-centred, inclusive and empowering. People, staff and one external professional spoke positively about the provision of care being provided.

Robust quality assurance systems and processes helped to monitor the quality and safety of care being provided. There was effective partnership work in place, ensuring people received a holistic level of care.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for the service, under the previous provider / previous premises was requires improvement, published on 6 October 2018. Balance Care was registered with CQC on 30 May 2019 and this was the first inspection at this registered location.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.