Advance Oxfordshire

Updated 24 June 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in five ‘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

We gave a short period notice of the inspection because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. We also needed to ensure that people could consent to a home visit from an inspector.

Inspection activity started on 26 April 2022 and ended on 24 May 2022. We visited the location’s office on 28 April 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since they had registered with the CQC. 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 five people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, a support manager, two team leaders, and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision, training data and quality assurance records. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We also sought feedback from staff via an email questionnaire.

Updated 24 June 2022

About the service

Advance Oxfordshire is a 'supported living' service that provides support packages for people with a learning disability or autistic people. Supported living is the name given to support people who either live in their own homes, either through a tenancy with a housing provider, or live in their own homes through ownership or shared ownership with a housing association.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

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 CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support: The model of care and setting maximised people’s choice, control and independence. Support plans were detailed and person-centred. The support plans provided guidance for staff about how best to support people's needs and 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. Staff received training and support to enhance their skills and understanding in relation to maximising choice, promoting person-centred care and creating the right culture.

People had access to a range of activities and social opportunities.

Right care: Care was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. Staff had received training to ensure they promoted, protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. People had access to health care professionals when they needed them. The provider had systems in place to support people appropriately.

Right culture: The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using the service led confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

There were safeguarding procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these. Robust recruitment checks had taken place before staff started working at the service. There were enough staff available to meet people's needs.

People's medicines were managed safely. Staff followed government guidance in relation to infection prevention and control.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and any learning was identified and acted on. Staff said they received good support from the registered manager and the supported living co-ordinators.

The registered manager and staff worked in partnership with health and social care providers to deliver an effective service.

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

Rating at last inspection: This service was registered with us on 10 October 2020 and this is the first inspection.

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.