Background to this inspection
Updated
11 July 2019
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in a number of ‘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.
The service had a new manager who was registering with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider will be legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we wanted to be sure people receiving support had time to consent to a visit to their home and were happy to speak with us. We also needed to be sure that the provider or manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 17 June 2019 and ended on 18 June 2019. We visited the office location on both days and visited people on 17 June 2019.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people the service supported. 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with five people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the manager, an interim support manager, senior support workers and support workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care and medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were also reviewed.
Updated
11 July 2019
About the service
United Response- Merseyside Supported Living is a supported living service providing personal care to adults with a learning disability and/or autism. At the time of inspection, the service was supporting 12 people who lived alone or in small shared houses. Each person had their own bedroom and shared living facilities and each property had a room for staff to use when completing paperwork or supporting people overnight.
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.
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 were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives as staff did not always support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice however this was not always recorded effectively in people’s support plans. We have made a recommendation about seeking people’s consent.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent. People accessed volunteering opportunities and were also encouraged to be as independent as they can within their own homes.
People received care and support from staff who were caring and respectful. People's needs had been fully assessed. Support plans were in the process of being fully reviewed and were person centred and up to date. The manager worked in partnership with other agencies to ensure people received care and support that was consistent with their assessed needs.
People were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. Staff had received training and felt confident to raise any concerns. Privacy and dignity was respected and people spoke positively about the staff and management team.
Safe recruitment practices were in place and people were supported by staff that had undertaken a thorough induction process and training relevant to their roles. Enough staff were employed to meet the needs of the people using the service. Staff were supported through regular supervision and team meetings and felt well supported by the current manager.
People knew how to make a complaint and they were confident about raising concerns should they need to.
Medicines were administered by trained and competent staff and people were supported to be as independent as possible. Staff had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent and control the spread of infection.
There were systems in place to ensure that the quality of the service was monitored.
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 28 December 2016).
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 re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.