Background to this inspection
Updated
19 October 2019
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
This inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in 10 ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with five people using the service. We spoke with four members of staff, including the assistant manager. The registered manager was not available on the day of our inspection. We reviewed a range of records. These included care records four people’s and their medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, such as policies and procedures, were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We spoke with two relatives of people, one staff member and one professional who regularly works with the service.
Updated
19 October 2019
About the service
This service is based in Witney, Oxfordshire, and provides personal care and support to people with learning disabilities residing in the North Oxfordshire area. There were 23 people receiving support from the service at the time of the inspection. Supported living is where people live in their own home and receive care and support in order to promote their independence.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The culture of the service ensured the provision of support was person-centred. Management and staff were committed to the provision of care and support. People were supported and empowered by staff to control their own lives and live a life which was meaningful to them.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensured that people using the service could live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that included control, choice and independence.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
People told us they felt safe, and staff knew whom to contact if they suspected any abuse had taken place. Individualised risk assessments promoted positive supported risk taking. A robust system of learning from incidents kept people safe.
Staff felt very supported with an induction and role specific training, which ensured they had the knowledge and skills to support people. Staff received regular supervision and annual appraisals and were able to reflect on the care and support they delivered.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff provided them with care in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were treated with the utmost respect, dignity, empathy, and compassion. They were empowered to make choices to live a life they wanted. The service had gone to great lengths to ensure people’s preferences and opinions were heard, and the support given was tailored to the individual needs of people.
People continued to be involved in the planning, management and reviewing their support. Each person had a care and support plan, written with them, which reflected their physical, mental health, social and emotional needs. People spent much of their day out in the local community doing the things they wanted and with the people whose company they enjoyed. They were supported to develop and maintain relationships with those who mattered to them. People told us they did not have any complaints but would speak to the registered manager or staff if they were not happy about something.
The provider had systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided.
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 4 April 2017.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.