Allerton C&S SE

Updated 6 August 2021

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.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in 12 ‘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. This service also provides a domiciliary care service. It provides personal care to two people living in their own houses and flats.

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. The service also has a manger who is currently in the application process of registering with the CQC.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 30 June 2021 and ended on 8 July 2021. We visited the office location on 1 July 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information that we had received about the service since the last inspection. We discussed the service with local authority social workers and commissioners. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who use the service and three relatives about their experience of care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, the manager, team leaders, office and support staff. We reviewed a range of records including three people’s care and support plans, documentation that related to staff management and recruitment. We looked at records relating to the management of the service including policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager and manager to validate evidence found. We looked at quality assurance records.

Updated 6 August 2021

About the service

Allerton C&S SE provides care and support to 50 people. 43 people were supported in 12 ‘supported living’ services. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. Not everyone using Allerton C&E SE receives the regulated activity, personal care; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At time of inspection ten people were receiving the regulated activity, personal care. Allerton C&S SE also supports seven people in their own home. At the time of inspection, two people receiving a domiciliary care package were receiving the regulated activity, personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and their relatives told us that they felt safe and well supported in their homes. One relative told us, “I know all the staff in [relatives] home. They are wonderful people.”

Staff were observed as being patient with people and treating them with dignity and respect. In conversations with people staff did not speak for them. They supported people to make their views known.

People were engaged in the running and operation of their home and service and the environment looked personal and homely.

People had detailed care plans that were personal to them. Peoples likes and dislikes were highlighted with a personal life history. Risks were identified with detailed action for staff to keep them safe. Staff demonstrated knowledge of how to keep people safe and recognised the different signs of abuse.

Staff protected people's privacy and dignity and encouraged people to maintain their independence by enabling them to do as much as possible for themselves.

Staff training was up to date and relevant to the needs of people they supported.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. Right support means the model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and independence, right care means that care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human rights and right culture means that the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. The service was empowering people to maximise independence. People's houses were treated as their home with staff not having keys and had to be given access by people who lived there. Staff were minimising prescriptive care and support. People were at the centre of all decisions and involved in their care and support.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 17 January 2018). At this inspection the rating for this service remained good.

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the management of medicines. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

The overall rating for the service has remained good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Allerton C&S SE on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.