Archived: Care Management Group - 51 Rutland Gardens

51 Rutland Gardens provides tailored support packages for people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, 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. At the time of the inspection six people were living in the service, but one person was absent during the inspection. People had their own flat and shared the communal facilities. The service is situated in a residential area with easy access to local amenities and transport links.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and 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.

The staff team continued to provide an outstanding caring service to people. People and their relatives were all extremely positive about the care and support that was delivered. Staff went the extra mile to support people’s social needs and help develop their independence and life skills. They creatively supported people to maintain and foster interests that were important to them. People were central to the innovative practices involved in the planning and reviews of their support.

Staff spoke with pride and passion about the way people were cared for. Staff continuously looked-for ways to improve people's care and support so they received positive experiences and led fulfilling lives. A member of the staff told us, “We care a lot. We are their family. We offer guidance and someone to rely on, and they trust us. It’s important that they get everything they need.” A relative told us staff were very good at, “Getting to know the people who live there and engaging with them, finding things that may interest them, so they have a regular social and activity lives outside the service. (Person’s name) already has a great range of activities to go to.”

People told us they had continued to feel involved and listened to. The culture of the service remained open and inclusive and encouraged staff to see beyond each person's support needs. The provider had clear values which the registered manager and staff promoted. The registered manager showed drive and passion, ensuring the service was continually improving and striving to be outstanding, with people at the heart of the service.

Systems had been maintained to keep people safe. Sufficient numbers of suitable staff had been maintained to keep people safe and meet their care and support needs. People remained protected from the risk of abuse because staff understood how to identify and report it. People’s care and support plans and risk assessments continued to be developed and reviewed regularly. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff had the knowledge and skills to provide the care and support that people needed. Staff told us they had received supervision and appraisal’s. They continued to be supported to develop their skills and knowledge by receiving training which helped them to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively.

The provider continued to have safe arrangements in place for the safe administration of medicines. People were supported to have their medicine safely when they needed it. People were protected by the infection control procedures in place.

People continued to live in a service with a relaxed and homely feel. They were supported by kind and caring staff who treated them with respect and dignity. They were spoken with and supported in a sensitive, respectful and professional manner. Staff had a good understanding of consent.

People were supported with their food and drink and this was monitored regularly. People continued to be supported to maintain good health and access healthcare professionals when needed

People, staff and relatives told us the service continued to be well led. Staff told us the registered manager was always approachable and had an open-door policy if they required some advice or needed to discuss something. One member of staff told us, “Moral is really good, the care team is really strong and good at mentoring. It’s a really good place to work. We all want them to achieve, and they have all achieved so much. We are good at positive risk management.” Senior staff had carried out a range of internal quality assurance audits to ensure the quality of the care and support provided. People and their relatives were regularly consulted about the care provided through reviews, tenants meetings and by using quality assurance questionnaires. Relatives told us staff kept in touch with them, and one said, “We have had several updates since (Person’s name) first moved in which have been extremely reassuring. The content in them as well as just getting them, both from the manager and her deputy.“

During our visit to 51 Rutland Gardens we were told that people who use the service were enabled and encouraged to make choices about their daily lives and that they were supported to do this in a way that ensured their safety and wellbeing.

We spoke with three people who use the service and a parent of a person who uses the service. People we spoke with told us they were happy with the care and support they received. One person told us that "I couldn't ask for a better home." Another person told us "Staff are brilliant." A parent we spoke with told us "She has blossomed since living here, she's become her own person. It's brilliant."

We saw that people were engaged with activities in their local community and that they were supported in the development of their social, communication and life skills. We saw that people who use the service attended various activities such as choirs, swimming, activities centres and drama groups.

Staff we spoke with told us they were happy with the quality of care and support they were able to give people and that they felt supported to do this. One worker told us "We really get to promote people's independence. I'm very proud of the home."

We saw that everyone was encouraged and supported to reach their individual goals and aspirations. People had been supported to make choices in their lives and to learn daily living skills so that they could be as independent as they wished.

People's health and welfare was promoted and people were encouraged to make changes to their lives that promoted and improved their health such as making healthy meals and exercising.

Risk of abuse to people was minimised through staff training and risk management plans. Staff were knowledgeable about the types of abuse that might occur and helped raise awareness in the people they were supporting to help them to safeguard themselves. People told us they felt 'more confident to speak out' if they were worried.

Relatives said that the staff were skilled at their job. Staff received training that helped them meet the needs of the people they supported. Staff received support from the manager through a programme of regular supervision and annual appraisals.

The service had systems in place to review the quality of the service. People contributed to decisions about the running of the service through meetings and surveys.