The inspection took place on 6 April 2017 and was announced.Swanton Community Support provides support to people living in their own homes, most of whom need support with a mental health need or learning disability. At the time of this inspection there were 24 people being supported in flats on the same site as the agency office. A number of others were being supported in their own homes in the community.
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.
There were enough suitably recruited, trained and supported staff to meet people needs in an individual manner. Staff had been inducted and had received appropriate support to prepare them for their role. Ongoing training was provided which had effectively provided staff with suitable skills and knowledge to support the people who used the service.
People’s needs had been regularly assessed and reviewed to ensure accurate support plans were in place. People had been involved in the planning of the support they received and staff demonstrated they knew people’s needs well. The service was flexible in meeting these.
Staff demonstrated a respectful and encouraging approach to providing support and understood the importance of people being in control of this. People’s independence was promoted and their privacy and dignity maintained. Staff had developed meaningful and trustful relationships with the people that used the service.
The CQC is required to monitor the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and report on what we find. We found that the service was compliant with this legislation and that staff had knowledge of its application. They understood the need for consent and regularly gave people information in order for them to make decisions.
The risks to those that used the service had been identified, managed and reviewed. Staff had a good understanding of how to safeguard people and reduce the risk of abuse. The provider had plans in place to manage any adverse incidents that may occur in order to ensure continuity of the service people received.
Accidents and incidents were recorded and appropriate actions taken. However, a more robust system was required in order to analyse these in order to mitigate future risk. The service had recognised this and was working towards achieving this.
People’s healthcare needs were met and staff supported people as necessary to access healthcare services. Staff supported people with meal preparation as required and gave people information in order for them to make decisions about their diet and associated health. Where support was required, staff administered people’s medicines safely and as prescribed.
Processes were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service and feedback was sought on its implementation. People told us they felt able to express their views and that they would be listened to. People felt confident any concerns they may have would be actioned appropriately.
The culture of the service was open and positive. The management team were accessible and hands-on. They had a clear understanding of the service, its strengths and areas for improvement. An action plan was in place to drive improvement.
All the people we spoke with told us that they would recommend the service. They told us this was due to the success of the support their family members received, the kind and considerate approach of staff and the confidence they had in the management of the service.