United Response - Nailsea DCA

Updated 8 May 2020

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 a range of different ‘supported living’ setting[s], so that they can live as independently as possible. This included living in shared housing or in their own individual flats. 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 a short period notice of the inspection because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 11 March 2020 and ended on 18 March 2020. We visited the office location on 11 March 2020.

What we did before the inspection

The provider completed 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 reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included correspondence we had received, and notifications submitted by the service. A notification must be sent to the Care Quality Commission every time a significant incident has taken place. We sought feedback from the local authority and health and social care professionals who work with the service. We used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eleven members of staff including the registered manager and two service managers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and records for all staff in respect of training and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training data. We received email feedback from a member of staff and two health and social care professionals. We also spoke with a relative and two members of staff over the telephone on their experiences of the service.

Updated 8 May 2020

About the service

United Response is a domiciliary care service providing support to people in their own homes. They support people living in multi occupancy accommodation, single dwellings and those living with family (outreach support). The service supports adults who have learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health needs.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

The support provided aims to enable people to live as independently as possible. At the time of the

inspection there were 33 people being supported of which 11 people were receiving a personal care service. Some people required 24-hour support.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

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

People continued to receive a responsive service. People were very much involved in their care with staff supporting them to live the life they wanted. People’s aspirations and goals were listened too and very much supported. People had been supported to build relationships within the local community. People were supported with finding meaningful employment within their local communities either paid or voluntary. Staff actively engaged with people to find meaningful social opportunities to prevent isolation.

People continued to receive a safe service including ensuring suitable staff were employed. Medicines were managed safely. Staff knew what to do to keep people safe and when they had concerns, they knew who to share these with. People were supported by staff that knew them well. Consistent and familiar staff supported people.

People continued to receive effective care. People were supported by staff that completed a thorough induction and ongoing training, which had been kept under review. People received help where required to ensure they had enough to eat and drink. People were supported to access health and social care professionals in a timely manner.

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.

The service applied the principles and values consistently applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that included control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People, relatives and health and social care professionals said the staff were kind and caring. People benefited from being supported by staff that knew them well. Staff spoke positively about their roles and their support of people.

The service was well led. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. People and staff were consulted, and their views of the service were listened to and acted upon. The service worked in partnership with other health and social care professionals and the local community.

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 July 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for United Response - Nailsea DCA on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.