About the service:

55 Bowstock Road is a Domiciliary Care Service and Supported Living Service that is registered to provide care for people within their own homes. People using the service are younger adults, who may have a learning disability or autism spectrum disorder and they may have physical disabilities or mental health concerns. Twenty people were using the service at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were supported by staff to remain safe. There were enough staff available to people and people’s needs were attended to in a timely manner. Risk assessments were in place to minimise any potential risk to people’s wellbeing. Staff were recruited in a safe way. People received their medicines as expected.

Staff knew people’s needs. Staff received training and had been provided with an induction, and felt able to approach the registered manager with any concerns. Where needed people received the right support to eat and drink. People were supported to maintain their health.

People were supported to have choice and control over their lives and staff understood that they should support people in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff ensured that people’s privacy and dignity was maintained.

People's care plans reflected their needs and preferences and staff understood the care that people required. Complaints were dealt with appropriately in line with the complaints procedure.

Quality monitoring systems included audits and checks on people’s satisfaction with the service they received, using questionnaires. People knew the registered manager and felt they were approachable.

Rating at last inspection: The rating for the service at our last inspection was ‘Good’ with our last report published on 21 December 2016.

Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection that was due based on our scheduling targets.

Enforcement:

No enforcement action was required.

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.

This inspection took place on 24 October 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice that we would be visiting the service. This was because we wanted to make sure staff would be available to answer any questions we had or provide information that we needed. We also wanted the provider to ask people who used the service if we could contact them. The service was registered with the Commission on 9 November 2015 and this was the first inspection.

The service is registered to provide personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support and personal care to two people in their own homes within a ‘supported living’ facility within the community. Supported living enables people who need personal or social support to live in their own home supported by care staff instead of living in a care home or with family. The levels of support people received from the service varied, according to their assessed needs and levels of independence.

There was 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.

People felt safe when supported by staff from the service. Staff were aware of the risks to people on a daily basis and any changes to people’s needs were communicated to staff in a timely manner. People were supported by the same group of staff who had been safely recruited into their role, thereby reducing the risk of unsuitable people being employed by the service.

Staff were provided with the training and information required in order to support people to take their medicines safely. People were supported by staff who felt well trained and supported in their role.

Staff understood the importance of obtaining people’s consent prior to supporting them and had received training in the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

Staff were aware of people’s healthcare needs and supported people to access healthcare services where necessary.

People were supported by staff who they described as kind and caring. Staff supported people in a way that maintained their privacy and dignity and encouraged them to maintain their independence. People were supported to make their own decisions and were involved in the planning of their care.

People were involved in the planning of their care which provided staff with the information they required to meet their needs. People were supported to maintain their interests and take part in activities, by staff who knew them well. People’s views were actively sought on the quality of the care they received.

People were confident that if they did raise concerns, they would be dealt with appropriately.

People and staff spoke positively about the service and considered it to be well led. Staff felt supported and listened to and were encouraged to raise any concerns they may have.

Audits were in place to assess the quality of the care and support people received.