Accordia Supported Living Services

Updated 16 February 2022

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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Accordia Supported Living Services Limited is a supported living service offering care and support to people in one house. It provides care and support to 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 not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

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 registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. We also wanted to minimise disruption to people who use the service when we visited them in their own home.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last 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 used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We reviewed records and documents at the service location. We visited people’s flats and spoke with one person who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We observed how staff supported another person and their interactions with staff. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, senior care workers and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s health and care records, as well as communications from healthcare professionals. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A wide variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at quality assurance records and a variety of other documents requested by the inspector. We spoke with two family members and two care workers. We received feedback from a professional from the local authority who had frequent contact with the service.

Updated 16 February 2022

About the service

Accordia Supported Living Services Limited is a supported living service offering care and support to people in individual flats in one house. The service supports younger adults with a learning disability or with autistic spectrum disorder who may have an associated mental health diagnosis, some of whom have legal restrictions placed on them. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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. Three people were being supported with personal care at the time of our inspection.

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

Staff and the management team ensured that people and their families were at the centre of the delivery of care. People were treated as individuals whose life and experiences were considered and factored into care planning. People were engaged in selecting their own support team and others administered their own medicines and carried out health and safety audits of their flat. The service used creative, innovative and personalised methods to help people reach their goals and improve their quality of life. People were encouraged to take part in activities which were important to them and had opportunities to access the local community amenities. The service had a culture of open and honest discussions and carried out especially detailed investigations into any concerns raised.

The service was consistently well-led. People were at the centre of their support and the focus of everything the service did. This approach was central to shaping the service being provided to each person. There were high levels of satisfaction expressed by service users, family members and external professionals and each staff member told us they felt their contributions to the service were valued and respected by the provider. There were clear roles and responsibilities within the service and the registered manager understood their regulatory and legal requirements. Comprehensive audits were undertaken, and quality improvement was promoted. We saw evidence that learning from incidents contributed to continuous improvement of service delivery. The service was extremely proactive in engaging with other professionals and making links with the local community to achieve good outcomes for people.

People told us they felt safe with the staff who supported them. Risks to people were assessed and procedures were in place to help keep people safe. The provider's systems protected people from the risk of abuse. All staff were aware of their responsibilities with regards to safeguarding people. Medicines were managed safely and people were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection.

People were supported by staff who were well trained and competent in their role. They received additional specialised training and had regular supervision to discuss their roles. There was a strong emphasis on staff development and empowerment. Staff complimented the provider with regards to the training and development opportunities afforded to them and benefited from regular supervision. 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.

We observed there was a kind, caring and respectful culture in the service and people told us staff treated kindly. People experienced continuity of care and we saw they engaged confidently with members of their support team. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible which had a positive effect on their self-esteem. Staff were committed to enabling people to live their lives in a way which was as close to their choosing as possible.

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.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support:

People lived in independent flats and staff supported them to make their own choices, including being part of selecting their own support team. Staff focused on people's strengths and on what they could do to ensure they led a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life. Staff promoted people’s independence and supported their access to the local community.

Right care:

People received kind and compassionate care and were supported in a person-centred way. People lived in their own flats and staff respected their privacy and dignity. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse and worked well with other agencies to achieve this. People's care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their health, mental wellbeing and enjoyment of life.

Right culture:

The leadership team and staff showed commitment and respect to those whom they supported. People received good quality care and support because trained staff and specialists could meet their needs and wishes. Staff spoke with passion and knowledge about their role, central to which was to empower those whom they supported to live their best life possible and in the least restrictive way. Staff told us how the needs and views of those whom they supported were paramount and must be respected at all times. The provider ensured risks of a closed culture were minimised and people received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with CQC on 17 October 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection following registration.

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.