Caring Alternatives

Updated 23 August 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to six 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.

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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

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.

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 22 July 2022 and ended on 2 August 2022. We visited the location’s office on 22 July 2022.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 three people who used the service about their experience of the care provided.

We spoke with three members of staff including the nominated individual/registered manager and two members of the staff team. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and five medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A 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.

Updated 23 August 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

Caring Alternatives is registered as a homecare agency to provide personal care to people who have a learning disability and/or autistic spectrum disorder in their own homes. 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.

At the time of the inspection there were six people receiving personal care in different ‘supported living’ settings with 24/7-hour support.

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

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

Right Support

The service was wholly person centred. It encouraged and promoted people’s rights to pursue those activities they wished to pursue. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible. The service consulted with people about the quality of the support they received, and people confirmed that they felt able to influence their support and were listened to. The service worked hand in hand with people and their families to provide a good quality of support.

Right Care

The dignity and human rights of people were fully promoted by the service. People were supported by a staff team who knew their needs and preferences well. Support was holistic and focussed on positive risk taking within people’s house or the wider community.

Right culture

The management team were experienced and demonstrated knowledge in successfully supporting people with learning disabilities and/or autism. They had developed an open and transparent culture where the preferences and protected characteristics of people were fully considered and acted upon. Staff felt supported by the management team.

People felt safe with the staff team and many positive relationships had developed. People told us that staff were knowledgeable about their personal needs and preferences. Care was consistently provided in a person centred manner with dignity, privacy and human rights.

The communication preferences of people were respected and while people did not have any complaints; they felt confident that the management team would act upon them.

The service was well managed with an open and transparent culture being fostered by an experienced management team who maintained a presence for people who used the service.

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

This service was registered with us on 20 April 2021 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service at a previous location was Good, published on 25 November 2017.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to give the service its first rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Caring Alternatives on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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