Royal Mencap Society - Domiciliary Care Services and Shared Lives - West London

Updated 27 March 2020

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

This inspection was conducted by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Royal Mencap Society – Domiciliary Care Services and Shared Lives – West London provides care and support to people living in seven ‘supported living’ setting[s], 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. This service also manages a shared lives scheme, they recruit, train and support self-employed shared lives carers (SLC) who offer accommodation and support arrangements for vulnerable adults within their own family homes in the community.

The service had two managers registered with the Care Quality Commission, one managing the supported living scheme and the other, the shared lives 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 25 February 2020 and ended on 3 March 2020. We visited the office location on 25 February 2020 and 3 March 2020. We visited two supported living schemes in between these dates.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 11 members of staff including two registered managers, two service managers, three shared lives carers and four support workers. We received feedback from two health and social care professionals.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and medicines records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including complaints, incident forms, policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We requested additional evidence to be sent to us after our inspection. This included a number of policies, training records and records related to the management and governance of the service. This information was used as part of our inspection.

Updated 27 March 2020

About the service

Royal Mencap Society – Domiciliary Care Services and Shared Lives – West London is a supported living service providing personal care to people living in shared flats. At the time of the inspection there were 29 people using the service who received personal care across seven supported living schemes across South and West London. Personal care 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.

Royal Mencap Society – Domiciliary Care Services and Shared Lives – West London also provides a shared lives scheme which provides people with long-term placements, short breaks and respite care, within shared lives carers (SLC) own homes.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and their relatives told us the service provided meant they were kept safe from harm and abuse. Staff levels were flexible and met the needs of people using the service. The provider had appropriate risk management procedures in place which helped to ensure people continued to lead independent lives whilst at the same time keeping them as safe as possible. People were supported to take their medicines in a safe manner from staff who were trained to do so. Staff followed good infection control guidance.

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. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion.

Staff were recruited based on the values they demonstrated during the recruitment process and if these aligned with the provider’s values. Staff completed a through induction and received ongoing observation of their practice. People were supported to access healthcare services and had care and support plans which helped staff to manage their health needs. People received appropriate support in relation to their eating and drinking.

The service was caring. People felt listened to and their views were considered. Long lasting, meaningful relationships had been established between people using the service and care workers. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and accommodated people’s diverse needs.

Care records reflected people’s current support needs and key workers worked with people to identify goals which they supported them to achieve. People led active lives, pursing their interests and accessing community services. People’s communication needs were met. The provider listened when complaints were made and resolved them.

The provider placed great emphasis on the values of the organisation and worked hard to ensure this was apparent across all areas of the organisation, including people and staff. Staff were recruited based on their values and they were expected to demonstrate how they lived these values during their supervision and appraisal. Staff who exceeded these values were recognised for their excellence. People’s views were considered when recruiting staff and there were a number of internal working groups they were encouraged to take part in.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Outstanding (published 26 April 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 re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

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