Background to this inspection
Updated
7 May 2020
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 carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It currently provides 24-hour personal care and support to two people living in a specially adapted bungalow.
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.
Notice of inspection
We gave a short period of notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and people are often out. We wanted to be sure there would be office staff available to support the inspection and people at home to speak with us.
Inspection activity took started on 10 March 2020 and ended on 18 March 2020. We visited the office location and the bungalow where people live on 10 March.
What we did before the 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. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
Due to the communication needs of the people using the service we were not able to speak with them about their experience of the care provided. However, we did spend time with both people and observed staff interaction with them. We spoke with two members of staff including the assistant manager and a support worker. The registered manager was on annual leave at the time of our visit.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. We looked at one staff file in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were also reviewed.
After the inspection
We telephoned people’s relatives to ask for their feedback on the care their loved ones received. We received feedback from a professional who works with the service. We also received further information from the registered manager once they returned from annual leave.
Updated
7 May 2020
About the service
The Integration Trust Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support for up to three people living in a specially adapted bungalow. At the time of the inspection two people were using the service.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were supported by an exceptionally kind, caring and motivated staff team. They were encouraged and supported to achieve personal goals. Staff were very well supported by the registered manager and as a result people using the service received excellent care and support in a very relaxed and homely environment. Staff were extremely dedicated to improving the quality of life for the people they supported and went out of their way to integrate them into their own family lives.
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.
Staff treated people with a high level of dignity and respect. People were given opportunities to be truly involved in all aspects of their daily life and staff provided support patiently to ensure they were given the time and space for this.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
People were able to maintain strong family links and relatives told us they felt their loved ones were safe and extremely well supported.
People's care was developed around their wishes, preferences and goals. Support plans contained a very high level of detail which meant staff knew exactly how best to support each person. Each person was truly recognised as an individual and supported in that way. Staff knew the people they supported very well and understood they had very different personalities. People were involved in a wide variety of activities, outings and holidays all of which were carefully chosen to suit each person’s preferences.
Staff were encouraged to develop their knowledge and skills and felt supported and valued.
Medicines were managed safely. There were systems and processes in place to help protect people from the risk of abuse. There were always enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Safe recruitment procedures were in place, however, these were rarely needed as there was a very long-standing staff team who had supported the people using the service for many years.
People were supported to have a healthy diet. Specialist advice and input was always sought if there were any concerns about a person’s weight and food was prepared in a way that met any specific needs people had in this area. People were supported to have access to a range of healthcare professionals to ensure they remained healthy.
A range of audits and checks were carried out to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Action was taken if any issues or concerns were identified.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 11 August 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.