Grace Eyre Choices Sussex

Updated 24 December 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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was undertaken by one inspector and an assistant inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in ‘supported living’ settings, 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. The service also provide outreach domiciliary care. Where people receive support with personal care in their own houses and flats.

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 were two registered managers in post, one mainly covered Brighton & Hove, and the other West Sussex.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period notice of the inspection because we needed to be sure the registered managers would be in the office to support the inspection. We also needed to gain prior consent to visit some people using the service in their homes.

Inspection activity started on 2 November 2022 and ended on 9 November 2022. We visited the location’s office on 4 November 2022 and two of the houses where they provide support on 7 November 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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 with seven people who used the service and three relatives to hear about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered managers, team leaders and care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people's care records including care plans and risk assessments; and a number of medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, were reviewed.

Updated 24 December 2022

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

Grace Eyre Choices Sussex is a 'supported living service' providing personal care to people in supported living schemes, so that people can live in their own homes as independently as possible. They also provide outreach support to people who do not live in supported living schemes. The service provides support to people with a range of health and social care needs, including those with a learning disability and autistic people. At the time of our inspection, 61 people were receiving personal care. 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: The service were exceptional at getting to know people’s needs, wishes and preferences to ensure support was catered to each individual. Staff used innovative ways to ensure people were supported to live as independently as possible. People were provided with a choice in their day-to-day decision-making and families were involved where they wished to be involved. 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.

People's risks in relation to their care were managed, this included understanding and taking positive risks to encourage people's independence and supporting them to achieve their personal goals. There were sufficient staff to support people safely and people told us they felt confident staff knew what they are doing. We were assured that the service were following good infection prevention and control procedures to keep people safe. External professionals told us that staff worked well with them to achieve positive outcomes for people.

Right Care: People and their relatives told us they felt supported by staff in a kind, caring and dignified way. Promoting respect and dignity was at the heart of Grace Eyre’s practice. People's differences were respected by staff and they had undertaken relevant training to effectively support people. This included training for learning disability and autism awareness. People told us that the care was consistent, and staff knew them well. Staff supported people to maintain relationships that were important to them. People's right to privacy was respected and staff encouraged people to provide feedback about the care provided.

Care plans were person-centred and included information on people's healthcare needs, preferences and social history. People were supported to enjoy the diet of their choice, including cooking for themselves and staff encouraged them to ensure they had sufficient fluids to drink. People had individual goals and objectives which were regularly reviewed by staff.

Right Culture: The culture of the service was open, inclusive and empowered people to live independent lives where they were able. There was a strong ethos throughout the service that it was person-led and developed to be person-centred. People and their relatives were complimentary about the service and felt their ideas and concerns would be listened to by the registered managers and the provider. People told us they felt they could approach the management of the service with ideas and suggestions they had. Management had undertaken audits to look at ways of improving the service and identifying issues. Staff were complimentary about the approachability of both registered managers and the team leaders and told us they were able to raise concerns, and these would be dealt with appropriately.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

This service was registered a new address with us on 5 December 2019 and this is the first inspection at this location. The last rating for the service at the previous premises was good, published on 13 December 2018.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service because it had relocated to a new office since our previous inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.