Archived: Bristol Supported Living

Bristol Supported Living is a domiciliary care agency. The service provides personal care and support for people with learning disabilities who lived in their own homes. Not everyone using Bristol Supported Living receives the regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; 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 three people were receiving support with personal care.

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 we spoke with were happy with the care they received. People told us the care workers were professional and they were happy with how the service was run.

The provider's recruitment procedures were designed to ensure staff were suitable for the role. Staff members were not permitted to work with people until the necessary recruitment checks had been undertaken and were satisfactory.

Staff had access to training that was appropriate to their role. Staff had attended safeguarding training and knew who to contact if they had any safeguarding concerns.

People's needs were assessed prior to receiving a service including the protected characteristics under the Equalities Act. Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Care plans were personalised and individualised. Care staff had the necessary guidance about the support each person required and how people preferred to be cared for. Individual risks to people and the environment had been identified. Risk assessments were in place to help minimise the risk of harm occurring.

People and relatives told us people were treated with dignity and respect. They were positive about the staff and said they had a caring and kind attitude .

At the time of our inspection the provider had received no complaints. However, the provider had systems for handling complaints and responding to incidents and accidents which they said they would follow if these occurred.

The service was well led. Communication encouraged people and their relatives to share their views and the provider undertook a range of audits to check on the quality of care provided.

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. (published 17 January 2017)

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Bristol Supported Living is a domiciliary service that provides care and support to people with a learning disability or a mental health condition in their own home. It is part of the Royal Mencap Society. At the time of our inspection, the service provided personal care to two people. One person received a 24 hour care package and a second person received a care package of 17.5 hours per week over seven days.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People who received care spoke positively of the staff at the service. People said staff arrived for appointments on time. People’s individual risks were assessed and risk management plans were put in place when needed. People received their medicines as required and were supported by staff who had received training in safeguarding. Recruitment processes were safe.

People told us they received effective care from staff. Records showed that staff were supported through regular training and supervision. New staff at the service received an induction aligned to the Care Certificate. Where required, people were supported to make decisions in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People had access to healthcare professionals and staff supported people on visits to their GP and other healthcare professionals as needed. People received assistance with food and drink as required.

People told us they received care from caring staff. Staff demonstrated a commitment to providing person centred care and people’s involvement in designing their care provision was evident in care records. People’s additional needs had been recorded in care records, for example how to ensure staff communicated effectively with people and how to support people if they became anxious, stressed or upset. A complaints procedure was accessible and had been followed when needed.

People were positive about the management of the service. Staff told us they were supported by the management at the service and felt valued. They spoke of a strong team ethos to achieve a positive outcome for people. There were systems to communicate with staff and the provider had quality assurance systems in operation.

One person showed us their support plan. They told us that they had been asked for their views about their care and support and had been involved in writing their plan. They showed us where they had signed their plan to show that they consented to it. People said that they could give their views about the service that was provided in tenants' meetings. All the people said that they would discuss any issues or concerns with one of the two managers of the service or a senior manager and they were confident that these would be addressed.

People had been involved in developing their care plans and they had consented to the care and support provided. There were suitable arrangements to manage medication to keep people safe. One person told us that they could manage their own medication.

The staff had had recruitment checks before they were employed to make sure that they were suitable to work with people. They also had provided information about their qualifications and experience to show that they had the skills to work with people. Staff received more training to keep their qualifications and skills up-to-date. One person said that they had been involved in interviewing for staff and deciding who to appoint.

There were arrangements to monitor the quality of the service provided and people were asked for their views about the service. There were also arrangements to make sure that risks were managed and people were kept safe.

People experienced care and support that was tailored to their individual needs. People were able express their views, as far as they were able to do so, and were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

People told us that they were confident that the service listened to them and any concerns that they had would be dealt with. One person advised that the service manager is 'available to speak to at any time'. People told us they liked the staff that supported them.

Staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported and they were provided with training appropriate to their roles.

People were encouraged to lead full and active lives including accessing the community. On the day of our visit this included attendance at the local college, playing short mat bowls and engaging in paid employment. One person who lived in the supported living accommodation advised that there is 'plenty to do' and being independent is 'encouraged'.

We found that the provider had robust systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the services provided.