Support4U

Updated 26 June 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 was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type:

The service is a domiciliary care agency and is registered to provide personal care. Not all people using the service is supported with personal care. The aim of the service is to provide support, so people can live independent in a support accommodation with support.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that they would be in.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

What we did:

We reviewed information we had received about the service. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as allegations of abuse. We sought feedback from the local authority and other professionals who work with the service.

We reviewed the care records of four people to see how their care was planned and delivered, as well as their medicine administration records. We looked at four recruitment, training and supervision records for staff. We also looked at records which supported the registered manager and the provider to monitor the quality and management of the service. We spoke with four people, and five staff, the registered manager and the operation manager. At the time of the inspection the agency was supporting five people.

Inspection site activity started on 05 June 2019 and ended on 10 June 2019 It included telephone calls to people, so they could share their views about the service provided. We visited the office location on 05 June 2019 to see the registered manager and to review care records, policies and procedures. Two people visited the office to speak with us.

Details are in the key questions below.

Updated 26 June 2019

About the service:

Support4U is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection five people were being supported to live independently in a supported environment. The service has been developed and designed in line with principles that reflected the need for people with learning disabilities and autism to live meaningful lives. This included control over choice and independence. Each person had their own accommodation with their own tenancy.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe and staff knew how to protect people from the risk of harm or abuse.

People’s risks were assessed, monitored and managed.

People were supported by enough numbers of staff that had been safely recruited. Medicines were given as prescribed.

Accidents and incidents were monitored and reviewed. The registered manager informed us about significant events as required by law.

People were cared for by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs, Staff understood their roles and felt supported by the management team.

Staff sought people’s consent before support was provided. People were supported to access healthcare agencies when required.

People told us staff were kind in their approach. People told us their dignity and privacy was maintained and they were involved in the planning and review of their support.

People received care that was responsive to their needs. Support records showed people were fully consulted about all aspects of the support provided.

The provider had a complaints process in place which people were aware of and knew how to access. The complaints procedure was also available in an easy read summary to aid communication for people.

The provider had quality auditing and monitoring systems in place which included monitoring people’s progress. Reviewing the service delivery to ensure people’s safety. Staff meetings were held, and feedback sought from people, so lessons could be learnt if needed. The management team were approachable and the culture of the organisation open and friendly.

Rating at last inspection:

This was the first inspection of the service since registration on 29 August 2018.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection

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Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through 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