Spectra Care Ltd

Updated 9 October 2021

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 completed by an inspector.

Service and service type

This service 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.

The service had a manager who was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission. 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. This was because we wanted to make sure someone would be available to support us with 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.

During the inspection

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records, medicine administration records, satisfaction surveys, audits, staff files, training records and staff supervision records. We also looked at minutes of meetings and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures. We spoke with the director and the manager.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We spoke with three relatives to obtain their views of the service. We also contacted three members of staff to ask them questions about their roles and to confirm information we had received about them during our inspection. We were not able to seek feedback from people who used the service due to their communication needs.

Updated 9 October 2021

About the service

Spectra Care Ltd is a supported living service which is registered to provide personal care. The service can support up to six people. At the time of the inspection, they were supporting three people, all of whom were receiving personal care. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

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

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 supported living service had been developed and designed in line with values that underpin the principles of Registering the Right support, right care, right culture. This enabled people who used the service to live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes.

Staff understood what abuse was and knew how to report it. Risks to people’s individual health and wellbeing were identified and care was planned to minimise the risks. The provider had effective recruitment and selection processes in place. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. People received support with their medicines which were managed safely. There were systems in place for the monitoring and prevention of infection.

Systems were in place to assess people’s needs before they started to use the service. Staff received regular supervision to monitor their performance and development needs. People were supported to maintain good health and to access healthcare services when they needed.

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. Where people did not have the capacity to consent, the staff acted in accordance with legal requirements.

There was a positive relationship between people and the staff who supported them. People received their health support in a kind and compassionate way from a staff team that knew them well and were familiar with their needs. Confidentiality of people’s personal information was maintained. People’s privacy and dignity was respected and people were supported to maintain relationships with their relatives.

People received care and support when they needed it. Staff completed assessments of needs and developed care plans so that people received appropriate support. There was a complaints procedure which people and their relatives could use if they had a concern.

Relatives and staff spoke positively about the management of the service. There were clear lines of responsibility and accountability within the management structure of the service. Effective systems were in place to quality assure the services provided, manage risks and drive improvement. The management team had good links with a number of health and social care professionals and this helped to ensure people’s needs were fully met.

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 us on 20 January 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection because the service had not been previously rated.

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.