Archived: Autism Sussex Domicilliary Care, East Sussex

Updated 8 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.

Autism Sussex Domiciliary Care East Sussex is registered to provide personal care. Support is provided to individuals living in their own home. At the time of our inspection there were 43 people using the service. Although people received support in a range of areas we only inspected the personal care element of their care package and there was only one person in receipt of personal care.

This inspection took place on 10 and 11 January 2017and was announced. When planning the inspection we took account of the size of the service. As a result, this inspection was carried out by one inspector without an expert by experience or specialist advisor. Experts by experience are people who have direct experience of using health and social care services. We contacted the service two days before our visit to let them know we would be coming. We did this because staff were sometimes out of the office and we needed to be sure that there would be someone available.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service, including previous inspection reports. We considered 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.

We spent time at the registered office in Gensing Road. As part of the inspection and with their permission, we visited one person in their home, spoke with them and with their relative. During our inspection we met with the registered manager and one of the deputy managers. We also spoke with a senior support worker and three support workers.

We also asked the provider to complete a 'Provider Information Record' (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give us some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make and this helps to inform some of the areas we look at during the inspection. This was provided before our inspection and informed the planning of the inspection.

Updated 8 March 2017

Autism Sussex Domiciliary Care, East Sussex provides personal care and support for people living in their own homes. The service is provided to adults with autistic spectrum disorders and some people will have learning disabilities and or mental health conditions. Although people received support in a range of areas our inspection was centred only on the personal care element of care and support. At the time of our inspection there was only one person in receipt of personal care.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

This comprehensive announced inspection was carried out on 10 and 11 January 2017.

There were a number of areas where record keeping was not effective, for example, organisational quality assurance systems were in place but the systems for following up on shortfalls were not effective. The service was moving to a new system for storage of staff recruitment records so a number of documents were held at the head office. These areas were highlighted as areas to improve.

The manager and staff had a good understanding of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The person was supported to make a range of choices and decisions on a daily basis and when more complex decisions were required their family members assisted them. An advocate had been used in relation to supporting the person’s choice of accommodation and in assisting them with communication generally.

Staff had a good understanding of the person as an individual, their needs and interests. The person was supported to attend their day centre and to attend activities of their choice.

Whilst we only looked at how the organisation supported people with personal care, documentation provided a holistic assessment of the person’s needs, including what they could do for themselves and the support given to them to live their lives. The support plan clearly stated the aspects of personal care that were to be provided. Where risks were identified risk assessments had been carried out to minimise the risks of accidents occurring.

All staff completed basic training and more specialist training was provided for staff on various aspects of autism and how to support people with specific needs. There was a thorough induction to the service and staff felt confident to meet people’s needs before they worked independently with them. Staff received regular supervision and support from management which made them feel valued. Staff spoke positively about the way the service was managed and the open style of management.