The announced inspection took place on the 3, 4, 8 and 12 August 2016.SAS Support and Solutions provides personal care in a supported living environment as well as personal care for people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were twenty six people using the service. The majority of people living within the supported living service were independent and required limited support with personal care however there were a minority of individuals with more complex needs requiring more support than others.
The service is required to and did have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The service needed to develop more robust quality assurance systems. Although some processes were in place, effective monitoring and auditing systems were required to drive the improvements and ensure consistent, high quality, safe and effective care.
Care records in respect of people’s specific end of life, dietary, medication and moving and handling care did not adequately indicate people’s needs and wishes to mitigate risks to their health.
Insufficient members of staff meant people’s individual needs could not be consistently met within reasonable time frames.
Staff supported people to ensure they received access to healthcare services when required. Staff also worked with a range of health professionals, such as speech and language therapists and intensive support nurses, to implement care and support plans.
Management and staff understood their responsibilities and the framework of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). In general people were supported to carry out their own daily interests independently or achieve them with the assistance of staff, if requested.
A robust recruitment process was in place and staff were employed upon completion of appropriate checks.
Staff were respectful and caring towards people ensuring privacy and dignity was valued. Care was provided in a way that intended to promote people’s independence and wellbeing.