The Willows Supported Living Service

Updated 20 December 2018

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

Inspection team:

One inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type:

This service provides care and support to up to seven people living in a 'supported living' setting, so that they can live as independently as possible. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does no regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's personal care and support.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service 24 hours' notice of the inspection visit because it is a small service and people are often out. We needed to be sure that the registered manager and staff would be available to speak with us.

What we did:

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection in April 2016. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse. We assessed the information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

People living at The Willows Supported Living were not able to share with us their experiences of living at the service. Therefore, we spent time observing staff with people in communal areas during the inspection. We spoke to a team leader, three support workers and the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included one person's care plan in detail and specific aspects of another person's care records and medication records. We reviewed records relating to the management of the home, staff training records and a variety of policies and procedures developed and implemented by the provider.

Following the inspection, we spoke with two relatives by telephone.

Updated 20 December 2018

What life is like for people using this service:

The provider’s quality assurance system enabled them to monitor and identify any shortfalls in the quality of the service people received. Actions were taken and improvements were made when required.

There were enough staff available to support people with all their needs, including participating in activities and trips into the community. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and understood their role and responsibilities. Staff induction training and on-going training was provided to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to carry out their roles effectively.

People had person centred support plans which were very inclusive of what was important to them, respected their privacy and dignity and promoted independence. Staff followed the support plans to ensure people received assistance that met their individual needs and preferences and supported them to live as full a life as possible.

Risk assessments were used to manage potential risks within people’s lives, whilst also promoting their independence. Staff understood their responsibility to keep people safe and report any concerns. Where things did go wrong, the provider ensured actions had been taken to reduce future risks.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were supported to eat and drink enough to ensure they maintained a balanced diet and referrals to other health professionals were made when required. People received their medicines as required.

Staff were caring and kind and knew what was important to people. Staff supported people to communicate through pictures, objects of reference and by monitoring their facial expressions and body language.

More information in Detailed Findings below.

Rating at last inspection:

Good (report published 27 May 2016).

About the service:

The Willows Supported Living Service is a supported living service for up to seven people living with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were six people using the service. The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. We found the provider had maintained the characteristics of Good in all areas and the overall rating remains as Good.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.