Archived: WHC Offices

WHC Offices are located in Broxbourne in Hertfordshire. The service is registered to provide a supported living service for people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, people with eating disorders, younger adults and people living with mental health conditions.

People live in their own homes and receive 24 hour support to enable them to live their lives 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 including help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. At the time of this inspection two people received personal care from WHC Offices.

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.

This is the first inspection of this service since the provider registered with CQC on 05 June 2017.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We found that some records such as care plans and audits would benefit from further development. The provider did not have a formal system of quality assurance surveys in place at this time. Staff members told us they were proud to work for WHC Offices and said that the management team was approachable and that they could talk to them at any time. The registered manager demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of the staff they employed and people who used the service. The service had an open and transparent culture with all relevant external stakeholders and agencies.

People’s safety was promoted because staff were trained to recognise the various forms of abuse and encouraged to report any concerns. Risks to people using the service or the staff team were assessed and plans put in place to mitigate them. Recruitment systems were robust and new employees underwent the relevant pre-employment checks before starting to work at the service. There were enough staff members deployed to meet people’s needs in a timely manner.

The arrangements for the management of people’s medicines were robust. The provider had appropriate infection control procedures in place.

People received effective care because they were supported by a staff team who received regular training and support and had a good understanding of people's needs. The provider, registered manager and staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and what this meant on a day to day basis when seeking people's consent to their care and support. People were supported to maintain a healthy diet as part of their support plan and staff supported people to access healthcare appointments as needed.

People received their care and support from a stable team of care workers which helped to ensure that people’s dignity and privacy was respected. The registered manager visited each person on a weekly basis to assess their continued satisfaction with the service. People's personal and private information was stored appropriately in accordance with data protection guidelines. Independent external advocates were involved in people’s lives to support people who did not have capacity to raise and communicate their wishes.

People’s care plans specified what care and support they needed. Care plans were kept under regular review and updated whenever people's needs changed. People were supported to go into the local community and to take part in activities that they enjoyed and wanted to do. The provider had a complaints policy and procedure however, had not received any formal complaints since the service had been operating.