At the time of this inspection the service was providing personal care in supported living services to 23 people with a learning disability living in their own homes. Four people who lived in the same house invited us to visit them as part of our inspection. In addition the service provided a variety of positive one-to-one support, including some personal care, to other people living in their own homes in the community who had mental health conditions, alcohol dependency and other personal challenges.Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, relatives and staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at.
If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary, please read the full report.
We spoke with three people who used the service. We also spoke with the registered manager, the operations manager and five other members of staff. We looked at written records, which included copies of people's care records, staff personnel files and quality assurance documentation.
Is the service safe?
We saw that care plans and risk assessments were informative and up to date. Staff we spoke with were familiar with their contents, which enabled them to deliver appropriate and safe care.
People were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent it from happening. People were protected by safe and effective recruitment practices. People were cared for by staff who were properly trained and supported to develop professionally.
Is the service effective?
People were treated with respect and were encouraged to promote their independence and community involvement.
People we spoke with were satisfied with the care and support they received and were complimentary about the care staff. This was consistent with positive feedback reported in the provider's own annual quality assurance survey. People were given information and support to help them understand the care and support available to them.
Is the service caring?
We spoke with three people who used the service at their own home. One person said to us, "It's fantastic here. I really like living in this house. Staff help me cook food and my favourite is pizza." We asked another person if they liked living at their home. They replied, "Yes." We asked two people if they were looking forward to their forthcoming holiday. They both nodded enthusiastically and replied, "Oh, yes."
All interactions we witnessed between staff and people who used the service were encouraging and friendly. People were offered choices, encouraged to make decisions for themselves and staff were attentive to their needs. One staff member summed up the level of respect shown to people by commenting, "I actually feel privileged to be a part of their lives."
Is the service responsive?
People were consulted about and involved in their own care planning and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes. Care plans and risk assessments were regularly reviewed.
Five staff members told us that all of the members of the management team were approachable and they would have no difficulty speaking to them if they had any concerns about the service.
Is the service well led?
Staff said that they felt well supported by the manager, the operations manager and the management team, and they were able do their jobs safely. There was a range of quality monitoring systems in place to ensure that care and support was being delivered appropriately by staff, that the service was continuously improving and that people were satisfied with the services they were receiving.