This was a comprehensive inspection. The inspection took place on 7 and 9 November 2018 and was announced.

Assisted Living South West Limited is a supported living service for people living in supported living settings in Devon. Most people who use the service live in shared houses with other service users. This service provides care and support to people living in ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. 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.

At the time of this inspection there were 23 people with disabilities who received a range of support from the service, including personal care. Our inspection focussed on the support given to these 23 people. The service also provided support to people who did not require personal care. This part of the service is not covered by CQC legislation and therefore was not included in the inspection.

The provider, Assisted Living South West Limited is part of the Rehability UK group. Rehability UK provides community care and supported living services throughout the country, specialising in the provision of mental health, autism and learning disability care recovery pathways. Rehability UK took over the service approximately one year ago from Eden Futures. The provider, Assisted Living South West Limited, remains the same and therefore no change of registration was necessary.

We checked the service was working in line with ‘Registering the right support’, which makes sure services for people with a learning disability and/or autism receive services are developed in line with national policy - including the national plan, Building the right support - and best practice. For example, how the service ensured care was personalised, people’s independence and links with their community.

There was a new manager in post who had begun working in the service approximately two weeks before this inspection took place. They were in the process of submitting an application to CQC

Rating at last inspection

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Why the service is rated Good

People told us they felt safe being care for by the service. They knew how to speak out and who to tell if they had any concerns. Some people we met were unable to communicate verbally. They appeared happy and relaxed with the staff who were supporting them. The provider and registered manager had effective safeguarding systems in place. All staff we spoke with had a good understanding of what to do to make sure people were protected from harm or abuse. Care was taken before new staff were employed to make sure the applicants were entirely suitable for the job.

There were enough staff employed so that people received support when they needed it. There was a stable staff group, with many staff having worked in the service for a number of years. People received a consistent service from staff they knew and trusted.

There were good systems in place to assess risk and to ensure people received safe care and support. Support plans contained detailed risk assessments covering all anticipated risks. People were supported to manage their medicines safely.

People told us staff supported them effectively. People’s needs were assessed before they began receiving support and a plan of their support needs was drawn up. The plans contained detailed information about all aspects of each person’s support needs and had been discussed and agreed with each person, and with their families

Assisted Living South West Limited in Exeter provides personal care services for people pre-dominantly with learning difficulties living in their own homes within supported living schemes in East Devon. Most people received 24 hour care with a mixture of personal care and enabling support. The company was bought by Sovereign Capital Partners Investment Company in July 2015 and trades under the brand name Eden Futures. Eden Futures is one of the largest independent supported living businesses in the UK and aims to provide high-quality, person-centred care, support and enablement for people with disabilities and support needs. Their head office was in Tewkesbury. At the time of our inspection approximately 27 people were receiving a personal care service from Assisted living South west Limited. This service was registered by CQC on 30 January 2015 and has not been inspected previously at their new location.

People were kept safe and free from harm. There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service.

Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and support needs.

Staff knew the people they were supporting and provided a personalised service. Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their care. Relatives told us, “Yes there is a care plan, it is reviewed annually. The management are good and always tell us if there are any changes” and “Yes, we have a copy of the care plan and we always have a review annually. We are always involved.”

People and their relatives/advocates told us they liked the staff and found the care to be satisfactory. Most people were unable to tell us directly about their experiences due to their learning difficulty. Relative’s comments included, “Staff are excellent. It’s the personal touch between the service and the family. We are always made to feel welcome. You can tell [person’s name] is happy, they look well and happy and for them it’s their home” and “[Staff] are very caring and respectful. [Person’s name]’s room is kept clean and spotless. I can’t fault them at all.”

People were supported to eat and drink in a way that met their needs and preferences. One relative said, “Fresh meals are cooked on the premises and [people] look well.” Staff supported people to attend healthcare appointments and liaised with their GP and other healthcare professionals as required to meet people’s needs.

There was a registered manager in post with overall responsibility as area manager with team leaders managing local areas day to day. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager was accessible and approachable. Staff, people who used the service and relatives/advocates felt able to speak with the registered manager and there were opportunities to provide regular feedback on the service. Relatives’ comments included, “Staff and management are so good. We can talk to them and don’t feel awkward about raising anything.”

There were good systems in place to regularly monitor the quality of the service provided. For example, risk, medicines and accidents and incidents were well managed.