Indigo

Updated 5 December 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This comprehensive inspection took place on 13 November 2018 and was announced. We contacted the manager on the morning of our inspection to let them know we would be arriving late morning because Indigo is a small service where staff and people are often out and we wanted to be sure someone would be in.

The inspection team consisted of one inspector. Prior to this inspection, we reviewed information that we held about the service such as notifications. These are events that happen in the service that the provider is required to tell us about. We also considered the last inspection report and information that had been sent to us by other agencies. We also contacted commissioners who had a contract with the service.

During the inspection, we spoke with the manager, operations manager, a care worker and the provider’s ‘nominated individual’. We spoke very briefly with both people who used the service. They did not want to tell us what they thought of living at Indigo and would have become anxious had we asked them to do so. We therefore used different methods to gather experiences of what it was like to live at the home. For example, we looked at their care plans and the daily records staff made about how people had been supported. We briefly observed how staff interacted with and supported people.

We looked at staff training records, a range of records relating to the running of the service. These included management audits, incident reports and complaints.

Updated 5 December 2018

We inspected the service on 13 November 2018. The inspection was announced. We contacted the manager on the morning of our inspection to let them know we would be arriving late morning. We did this because the service is a small service where people and staff are often out and we wanted to be sure someone would be in.

Indigo is ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service is registered to accommodate two people. Both people were using the service on the day of our inspection visit.

The care service had been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen. However, people were given choices and their independence and participation within the local community encouraged.

At our last inspection on 5 January 2016 we rated the service ‘good.’ At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of ‘good’ overall. There was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People continued to receive a safe service where they were protected from avoidable harm, discrimination and abuse. Risks associated with people’s needs had been assessed and planned for. Risk assessments were reviewed monthly to ensure they reflected people’s most up to date circumstances.

People were supported by a core team of staff who were suitably skilled and experienced staff to meet their needs. The people using the service were supported to be independent and they required mainly prompting rather than ‘hands-on’ support. People were prompted to take their medicines when they needed them.

Safe staff recruitment procedures were in place and used to ensure that only staff who met the services high standards worked there. Incidents were analysed for lessons learnt and these were shared with the staff team to reduce further reoccurrence and protect people from harm.

People continued to receive an effective service. Staff received the training and support that was specific and relevant to people’s individual needs. People were advised about the importance of a healthy and balanced diet. Staff supported people with their health needs and accompanied them to health care appointments if required.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. The principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 were followed. People’s independence was promoted and they were supported to make informed choices about their care and support.

People continued to receive care from staff who treated them with dignity and respected their privacy. Staff had developed positive relationships with the people they supported. They knew how to comfort people when they were anxious.

People continued to receive care and support that met their needs. People’s needs were assessed and planned for with the involvement of the person and or their relative where required. Care plans were detailed and read by staff when they were updated.

People were supported to pursue their interests and hobbies when they wanted to. Staff respected people’s choices about how they spent their time. There was a complaint procedure in an easy to read format that people could access if they wanted to make a complaint.

The service did not have a registered manager but a person with long experience of the service had applied to be the registered manager. They were supported by an operations manager. The provider had effective arrangements for monitoring the quality of the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.