Tameside Learning Disability 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.

Tameside Learning Disability Service provided personal care to people who had a learning disability in their own homes. There were 80 people using the service at the time of the inspection.

There was a registered manager in post who was unavailable on the day of the inspection. 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 who used the service received an excellent personalised service that met their individual needs and preferences. People were at the centre of how their service was run and were fully involved in the planning and developing of the service. Staff used innovative ideas and actions to improve people's quality of life and to give them outstanding opportunities in daily life.

People felt able to complain and their views were regularly sought through meetings and reviews of their care.

People were safeguarded from abuse as staff knew what constituted abuse and what to do if theysuspected abuse had taken place. The provider followed the local safeguarding procedures as appropriate.

People were supported to take risks to enhance their independence. Staff knew people's risks and followed individual risk assessments to minimise the risk of harm.

There were sufficient numbers of suitably trained staff to keep people safe. New staff were recruited through rigorous recruitment procedures to ensure they were fit to support people.

People were supported to take their medicines by staff who were trained to support them. Staff received support and training to be able to fulfil their roles effectively.

The provider followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 by ensuring that people were consenting to their care or where they lacked mental capacity were supported by their legal representative.

People were supported to maintain good health by staff who supported them to receive the health care support they required. People's dietary needs were met and they were supported to eat and drink to maintain a balanced diet.

People were treated with dignity and respect and were fully involved in their care planning and delivery. People's right to privacy was upheld.

The systems the provider had in place to monitor and improve the service were effective and people who used the service were at the centre of how the service was run.