Tameside Learning Disability Service

Updated 2 February 2024

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors, a medicines inspector, a regulatory coordinator, and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. The service also predominantly supported people in a number of supported living and extra care settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. However, the provider needed to update their registration to confirm they were providing these additional services.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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 4 January 2024 and ended on 12 January 2024. We visited the 3 supported living settings on 10 January 2024 and one of the location's offices on 12 January 2024.

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 who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 8 people who used the service and 12 family members about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager, service unit manager, 2 senior support workers and 9 care workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included 6 people's care records.

We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality monitoring, minutes of meetings, policies and procedures, audit outcomes and the staff training matrix.

Updated 2 February 2024

About the service

Tameside Learning Disability Service is a domiciliary care agency, providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service provides support to people with a physical disability, learning disability and autistic people within a supported living setting.

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. At the time of inspection, 58 people were receiving personal care.

People’s experience of the service and what we found:

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

Right Support: People were involved in their care planning and care plans were regularly reviewed, and support was adapted to people’s changing needs. People told us they were encouraged to be as independent as possible. 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. Staff received training in safe medicines practices. Staff had been trained in safeguarding and abuse and were aware of how to report concerns.

Right Care: There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people's needs. Staff knew people well and care records contained person-centred information to guide staff in how support should be delivered. Information was available to people in alternative formats to support people's communication needs if this was necessary. Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity. Staff understood and responded to people's individual needs.

Right Culture: The management team promoted a positive culture at the service. Managers led by example and advocated staff provided support to people which was person-centred to their individual needs. The ethos of the service was to promote people’s independence where possible which was tailored to the person’s needs rather than service led. There was a focus on providing support to people specifically at the time they requested rather than directed by staff availability and service needs. Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving the person, their families and other professionals as appropriate.

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 the service was good (published 15 September 2017).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Recommendation

We have made a recommendation in relation to medicines management.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.