About the service Creative Support Stoke-on- Trent provides personal care to 32 people at the time of the inspection. The service supports people who have a learning disability and may also have physical disabilities.
There were ten individual houses/bungalows that people lived in and each home accommodated no more than four people. Staff supported people with their personal care needs and people were supported to access the community. Within each home there was a separate office and staff were available 24 hours a day including a member of staff throughout the night.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were supported by safely recruited staff, who had the skills and knowledge to provide effective support. Staffing levels were regularly reviewed to ensure there were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. People’s medicines were managed, and staff followed infection control procedures.
Effective care planning and risk management was in place which guided staff to provide support that met people’s needs and in line with their preferences. 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 were supported to access healthcare professionals and advice received was followed by staff. There were systems in place to ensure people received consistent care and support.
People were supported by caring staff who promoted choices in a way that people understood, this meant people had control and choice over their lives. Staff provided dignified care and respected people’s privacy. People’s independence was promoted by staff.
People were involved in the planning and review of their care. Staff followed care plans to ensure they provided support in line with people’s wishes and diverse needs. People’s communication needs were met, and information was provided in a way that promoted people’s understanding. There was a complaints system in place which people understood.
Systems were in place to monitor the service, which ensured people’s risks were mitigated and lessons were learnt when things went wrong. People and staff could approach the registered manager who acted on concerns raised to make improvements to the delivery of care. Staff and management were committed to providing a good standard of care, which was focused on positive outcomes for people.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (report published 14 October 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. The service continued to be rated Good in all domains.
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.