Supported Living Solutions (North West) Limited

Updated 21 February 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.

The inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, 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.

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:

The inspection was announced. This was because the service is small and people are often out. We wanted to be sure there would be people available to speak with us.

What we did before inspection

We completed our planning tool and reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affected the health, safety and welfare of the person supported by the service. We looked at previous inspection reports. We also sought feedback from partner agencies and health and social care professionals. We used the information the provider sent us in the information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spent time with the person supported. We spoke with the person’s relatives and directors, two members of staff and the registered manager.

To gather information, we looked at a variety of records. This included medicines records and the person’s care records. We also looked at other information related to the management of the service. We did this to ensure the management team had oversight of the service and they could respond to any concerns highlighted or lead in ongoing improvements.

Updated 21 February 2020

About the service

Supported Living Solutions (North West) Limited is a small supported living service providing personal care and support to people in their own home. The service provided support to people with learning disabilities and / or autism. At the time of our inspection the service supported one person living in their own home. The office base is located on the outskirts of Westhoughton near Bolton.

At the time of our inspection one person was using the service. The service delivered 155 hours of care to this person each week. There were plans to expand the service to support other people in the future.

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.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. 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’s experience of using this service and what we found

Although the person supported had limited interaction with the inspector, the inspector was able to observe how they related to staff. The person was comfortable and interacted frequently, in a relaxed way with staff. The person’s relatives told us they felt their family member was safe and looked after by staff. Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff to meet the person’s care and support needs. Staff assessed and managed risks to keep the person as safe as possible. They supported the person with any medicines needed.

Staff supported the person to see healthcare professionals promptly to help their health and wellbeing. They had sufficient nutrition and staff were familiar with their dietary needs. They were helped 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. Staff assessed people's capacity to make decisions. Staff had been suitably trained and supported and had the skills, knowledge and experience to provide good care.

Staff provided care that met the person’s different needs and preferences. They and their relatives were involved in planning their care and encouraged to make decisions. We saw the person enjoyed spending time with the staff team who supported them 24 hours a day. The person’s relatives told us their family member was treated with respect and consideration.

Staff had assessed the person’s specific communication needs and were familiar with the ways they communicated. They were involved in a variety of activities of their choosing with staff support. Staff encouraged the person to indicate or their families to tell them about any concerns or complaints.

We saw the person could make their views known and make decisions about their lives. Staff listened to and acted on their wishes. The registered manager monitored the service to check on the quality and make sure staff were providing good care. They understood and acted on legal obligations, including conditions of CQC registration and those of other organisations. The registered manager worked in partnership with other services and organisations to make sure they followed good practice and people in their care were safe.

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

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection the service was rated good (published 23 August 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

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.