Archived: Oxford Supported Living Scheme

Updated 25 April 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert-by-experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type:

This service provides care and support to people living in six ‘supported living’ settings so that they can live as independently as possible. People care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The 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 a 48 hours' notice of the inspection visit. We needed to be sure that people were informed that we would be contacting them by telephone, and we needed a manager to be available to facilitate this inspection.

What we did:

Before inspection: We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. (PIR) This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at information we held about the service including notifications they had made to us about important events. We also reviewed all other information sent to us from other stakeholders for example the local authority and members of the public.

During inspection: We visited the office location on 7 March 2019 to see the registered manager and staff. We reviewed four people's care records, policies and procedures, records relating to the management of the service, training records and staff files. We spoke with the registered manager, a location manager and two people during our visit. We contacted eight people by phone to obtain their view on the quality of service provided to them.

After inspection: We spoke with two members of staff and two relatives of people using the service. We obtained feedback from three healthcare professionals on quality of the service provided to people by Oxford Supported Living Scheme. We received information from the registered manager on the assistive technology used in the service.

Updated 25 April 2019

About the service: Oxford Supported Living Scheme provides personal care and support for individuals with learning and physical disabilities living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 25 people receiving support from the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were encouraged and supported to take positive risks so the restrictions on their lives were reduced to a minimum.

People and their relatives told us staff were kind, compassionate and respectful towards them. The management team and staff had developed strong relationships with people and their family members. Staff were described as 'going that one step further' to improve the quality of people’s lives.

We received extremely positive feedback on how staff went over and beyond what they were expected to in order to provide a truly person-centred service. The provider found innovative ways to protect people who received care in their homes from the risk of social isolation. The service aimed to enrich people's lives by supporting people to connect with others, the community, and engage them in activities away from their homes. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support

People consistently told us how they received care from staff who knew their needs well, at times when they expected them and this helped to make them feel safe.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. They were provided with care in the least restrictive way possible, and the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were able to live in their own accommodation and maintain personal or family relationships.

Staff were highly skilled, motivated and knowledgeable. They provided flexible care and support in line with a person's needs and wishes.

The service was well-led. There was a visible and effective leadership team who were open and transparent. This resulted in an effectively organised, supportive and well managed service. The service had a strong sense of social responsibility and played an active role in the community.

The registered manager demonstrated how their robust quality assurance systems had sustained continual development and improvement at the service. Since the last inspection, they had made many positive changes and were driven to provide an outstanding service.

Rating at last inspection: Good. The last report was published on 24 September 2016.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

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