Archived: Eastbourne Community Support Service

Updated 3 March 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection of Eastbourne Community Support Service took place on 27 January 2017 and was an announced inspection. We told the manager two days before our visit that we would be coming. We did this because they were sometimes out of the office supporting staff or visiting people who use the service and we needed to be sure they would be in.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. We considered the information which had been shared with us by the local authority and other people, looked at safeguarding alerts which had been made and notifications which had been submitted. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

During our inspection we went to the office and spoke to the manager, three staff members and two senior managers who work for the provider. We reviewed the records of five people that used the service, including assessments, support plans and weekly reviews.

We looked at three staff recruitment files, supervision and training records, and spoke with the manager about the systems in place for monitoring the quality of support people received. We looked at a variety of the service’s policies such as those relating to safeguarding, medicines, complaints and quality assurance.

Following the inspection visit we undertook phone calls to four people and relatives of one person to obtain their views of the service. We also contacted health and social care professionals for their feedback.

Updated 3 March 2017

We undertook an announced inspection of Eastbourne Community Support Service on 27 January 2017. We told the registered manager two days before our visit that we would be coming. We did this because they were sometimes out of the office supporting staff or visiting people who use the service and we needed to be sure they would be in.

Eastbourne Community Support Service provides specialised community support to people with learning disabilities living in their own homes. The aim of the service is to promote and maintain people’s ability to live independent lives, improve their health, well-being and confidence. Eastbourne Community Support Service provides support for 60 people. At the time of the inspection eight people received support with personal care which is a regulatory activity registered by CQC. This inspection focused on the care and support provided to these eight people.

At the time of the inspection there was no registered manager at the service. However there was a manager in post and they had submitted an application to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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’s support was personalised to reflect their individual goals, needs and what was important to them. The manager and staff had a good understanding of the support people required, their individual needs, choices and preferences. They also knew people well as individuals, their personal histories and personalities. People’s support was developed with them and visit times were arranged at times that suited them and helped them meet their needs. People and their relatives spoke positively about the care, support and service they received.

People were involved in developing their own support plans and setting their own goals. These were reviewed regularly, people’s successes were celebrated and their changing needs were responded to. People told us staff were kind and offered comfort when they were distressed.

Risks were safely managed and staff had a good understanding of risks associated with supporting people and support plans contained appropriate information and guidance. Some people required support to take their medicines and there was guidance in place to ensure this was managed safely.

Staff understood their responsibilities in ensuring people were protected from the risk of abuse or harm and were aware of what steps to take to help people remain safe. There were enough staff with the appropriate knowledge and skills employed to support people. There were systems in place that ensured only staff were appropriately employed.

Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and the requirements of the legislation. They understood how this related to the people they supported. People’s feedback was regularly sought, their views were listened to and acted upon.

Some people received support with their meals. Staff encouraged people to eat healthy, balanced nutritious diets of their choice.

Staff knew people well and recognised when they may need to be referred to an appropriate healthcare professional for example the GP or dentist. They supported and encouraged people to attend healthcare appointments.

The manager had developed an open and positive culture which focussed on improving the experience for people and staff. She welcomed suggestions for improvement and acted on these. Staff were supported and listened to by the manager and were clear about their responsibilities.

There was an effective quality assurance system. Audits were analysed to identify where improvements could be made and these were implemented. There was an on-going development plan for the service to ensure it continued to develop and sustain improvements made.