Background to this inspection
Updated
7 September 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 team consisted of two inspectors.
Service and service type
This service is a supported living service. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. Where people received support in supported living settings, 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.
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
This inspection was announced.
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.
Inspection activity started on 22 June 2022 and ended on 14 July 2022. We visited the office location on 29 June 2022 and 01 July 2022.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We also requested feedback from Healthwatch to obtain their views of the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We made observations of people and how they expressed themselves. Some people were able to verbally communicate their care needs. We spoke with four people who used the service and six relatives about their experience of the care provided.
We spoke with 11 members of staff including the registered manager, the provider's representative, a service manager, seniors, team leader, support workers and agency staff.
We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including incidents and accidents, safeguarding, audits, complaints and compliments and policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, quality assurance records and policies and procedures.
Updated
7 September 2022
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
About the service
Radis Community Care (Droitwich Supported Living) is a supported living service registered to provide personal care to younger and older adults living with a learning disability and/or autistic spectrum disorder, and/or mental health in their own homes.
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.
At the time of the inspection 25 people were receiving support with personal care in five different ‘supported living’ settings with 24 hour support.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support
Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence, however, we identified some areas of improvements which were required to further reduce the risk of people experiencing harm. The service supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence and they had control over their own lives. Staff supported people to achieve their aspirations and goals. People were supported to personalise their rooms. The service made reasonable adjustments for people so they could be fully in discussions about how they received support, Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community. Staff communicated with people in ways that met their needs.
Right Care
People’s care, treatment and support plans reflected their needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life. The registered manager was planning to develop these further, so staff had the full range of guidance they needed to reduce risks to people further. People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs. People who had individual ways of communicating, using body language, sounds, Makaton (a form of sign language), pictures and symbols (add to or delete as appropriate) could interact comfortably with staff and others involved in their treatment/care and support because staff had the necessary skills to understand them.
Right culture
The registered persons needed to improve their service checks to ensure they had clear oversight of the service. Where people received support from a consistent staff team, staff knew and understood them well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. People and those important to them, including advocates, were involved in planning their care. The service enabled people and those important to them to work with staff to develop the service. Staff valued and acted upon people’s views.
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 21 July 2021 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right Support, Right Care, Right culture.
Enforcement
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.
We have identified breaches in relation to people’s safety and how the service is managed at this inspection.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.