Doncaster Community Support

Updated 9 December 2023

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 1 inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience made calls to relatives the following day. 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

Doncaster Community Service is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It also provides care and support to people living in 16 ‘supported living settings’ so that they 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.

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 a short period notice of the inspection because some of the people using it could not consent to a home visit from an inspector. This meant that we had to arrange for a ‘best interests’ decision about this.

Inspection activity started on 18 October 2023 and ended on 26 October 2023. We visited the locations office on the 18 October 2023 and 26 October 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service before the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals 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 to 5 people who use the service and 8 relatives about their experience of care provided. We spoke with 14 members of staff, including the registered manager, 4 service managers and 9 support workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 5 people’s care records and a range of medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and supervision. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service. We also received information from 1 health care professional who visits the service.

Updated 9 December 2023

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Doncaster Community Support is situated in the Kirk Sandall area of Doncaster. It provides care and support through a domiciliary care service and supported living service to people who live in their own homes. The service provides support to people living with a learning disability or autism spectrum disorder and older people. At the time of our inspection there were 107 people receiving a service from this provider.

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.

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

Right Support:

People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice. We have made a recommendation about staffing; people received the care and support they needed to be safe, however, there were not always enough staff on duty for people to access community leave and appointments. People had a choice about their living environment and were able to personalise their rooms.

Right Care:

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. People could take part in activities and pursue interests that were tailored to them. The service gave people opportunities to try new activities that enhanced and enriched their lives.

Right Culture:

The provider did not have an effective governance system in place to identify issues we found on inspection. However, the registered manager and service managers were working hard to improve the culture and embed an ethos of learning and development within parts of the service. We have made a recommendation about supervision as staff in all areas of the service did not always receive regular 1-1 supervision. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality of life of their choosing. People and those important to them were involved in planning their care.

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 5 December 2017)

Why we inspected

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

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Doncaster Community Support on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and good governance. We have made recommendations the provider ensures there are enough staff on duty, so people have access to the community and medical appointments and all staff within the service receive 1-1 supervision.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.