Windebanks

Updated 11 December 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector. Another inspector was involved in gathering recruitment information.

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

We gave the service 24 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and people are often out, we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us. We also needed to be sure the registered manager would be available to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since they registered. We sought feedback from Health watch, the local authority and professionals who work with the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider 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 spoke with three people who were using the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three support workers, the deputy manager and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed. We sought feedback from a further three professional’s with experience of the service.

Updated 11 December 2021

About the service

Windebanks is a supported living service providing personal care and support to five people living in five self-contained flats. There is an office which also serves as a room for staff who sleep-in at night. The service is registered to support people with autism and/or a learning disability.

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

There were enough staff to care for people safely and medicines were safely managed. People we spoke with told us they felt safe. Staff understood the importance of monitoring incidents and accidents and there were robust systems to safeguard people from abuse. Safe recruitment processes were being adhered to in order to make sure staff were suitable for their roles and responsibilities.

Cleaning and infection control procedures had been updated in line with COVID-19 guidance to help protect people, visitors and staff from the risk of infection. Government guidance about COVID-19 testing for people, staff and visitors was being followed.

Risks to people's health, safety and welfare were identified and supported. Staff ensured people's needs were consistently met and assessed to enable improvements and progress in their lives. Staff received a comprehensive induction and ongoing training to enable them to support people safely. There were effective systems for communication both at the service, and with other agencies to ensure people received the care they needed.

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.

People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts to meet their needs. When required staff supported people to access a range of healthcare professionals. The service worked with specialist learning disability teams to provide effective joined up care. Quality assurance processes were robust and provided oversight of the service.

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.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support:

• Model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and Independence. People were supported to live as independently as possible at a service which encouraged and inspired people to live full lives. Staff supported people to make choices and to remain connected with their family, friends and the local community.

Right care:

• Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. People’s flats were respected by staff as their homes. People were supported to lead full and active lives and to take part in activities that were meaningful to them. Staff knew people well and we observed people treated with kindness, respect, and involved them in making decisions.

Right culture:

• Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives. Staff described a positive culture where learning was encouraged. Positive risk taking was designed into the culture of the service. For example, people’s behaviours had been explored to see what they were communicating to maximise their independence, like going out into their community on their own. One-to-one staffing levels meant they could quickly respond to crisis situations and least restrictive practices were used to avoid the need to use restraint.

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

This service was registered with us on 25 November 2019 and this is the first inspection. Previously this was one of many supported living sites the provider had registered under one supported living location. The provider has now registered each site as a separate location.

Why we inspected

This was the first planned inspection for this service.

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.