Updated 19 August 2023
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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by an inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in ‘supported living’ settings, 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.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there were two registered managers in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out. We wanted to be sure there would be people at home in the supported living settings to speak with us.
Inspection activity started on 12 June 2023 and ended on 5 July 2023. We visited the location’s office on 12 June 2023 and several supported living settings on 13 and 16 June 2023.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 7 family members on the telephone about their experience of the care and support provided. We visited 4 supported living settings and spoke with the people who lived there. We also visited a ‘cooking class’ in a community library, where we talked to people and observed how staff interacted with them. We received email feedback from 4 health and social care professionals who have dealings with the service. During our visit to the service office we spoke with both the registered managers. We sent questionnaires to support staff asking a range of questions about their experience of working for the service. Seven completed questionnaires were returned to us. We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records and 3 staff recruitment files. A variety of other records relating to the management of the service were also considered as part of the inspection. These included audits, training and supervision records and policies and survey results.