Background to this inspection
Updated
20 March 2019
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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
One inspector and an assistant inspector visited four properties on the first day of the inspection. One inspector returned to the service's offices on the second day of the inspection.
Service and service type:
This service provides care and support to people living in nine ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live in their own home 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 new registered manager who had been in post since May 2018. 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 the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit. We needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in and we would be able to visit the properties we wanted to.
What we did:
We reviewed information we held about the service. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse. We reviewed the information the provider had sent us in their provider information return (PIR). The PIR gives some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection we spoke with eight people about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff, six care co-ordinators and the registered manager.
We looked at a range of records, including ten care plans and medicines records. We also reviewed four staff recruitment files, training and quality assurance and other records in relation to the management of the service.
Following the inspection we spoke by telephone with four relatives and an advocate. An advocate is an independent person who ensures any decisions taken on a person’s behalf are in their best interests.
Updated
20 March 2019
About the service:
¿ MLDP Central provides supported living services for people with a learning disability, autism or mental health needs so they can live in their own home 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 has nine properties, ranging from small homes for three or four people sharing the kitchen, lounge and bathrooms, to 13 single person flats / bedsits in one building with a communal lounge.
¿ Each property had either a sleep-in room for staff to use at night or staff who were awake all night (waking night staff).
¿ At the time of our inspection the service supported 42 people.
¿ For more details, please see the full report on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
People’s experience of using this service:
The care service has 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.
¿ A new registered manager had been appointed in May 2018. They had made improvements to the quality assurance and oversight of the service.
¿ All risk assessments and person centred plans had been reviewed and updated where necessary, including positive behaviour plans where required. People, relatives and staff had been involved in reviewing the care plans.
¿ The health and safety checks system had been reviewed and was being completed in all properties.
¿ Staff enjoyed working at the service and received the training and support to carry out their roles.
¿ The care co-ordinator team was stable and were positive about the changes the registered manager had made at the service.
¿ There were sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s identified needs. Regular agency staff were used to cover gaps in the rota.
¿ People had an activity planner in place. People had agreed goals they wanted to achieve and staff supported them to achieve them.
¿ People and relatives said the staff were kind and caring. The members of staff knew people’s needs well.
¿ People’s communication needs were assessed and communication passports and aids were in place where required.
¿ People were supported to maintain their health and received their medicines as prescribed.
¿ Referrals were made to health care professionals when required.
¿ All incidents, accidents and complaints were investigated and analysed to reduce the likelihood of the same issue happening again.
Rating at last inspection:
Requires Improvement (Report published 24 March 2018). The overall rating has improved at this inspection.
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. Following the last inspection, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve the key questions safe, effective and well to at least good.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.