Our inspection of Core Prospects Limited 37 Sandringham Crescent took place on 19 September 2018. We returned to the service on 25 September 2018 to complete our inspection.

Core Prospects Limited 37 Sandringham Crescent is a supported living service for people with mental health support needs. People receiving support live in two shared houses with communal facilities and in their own flats in the local community. At the time of our inspection the service was providing support to 12 people.

At our last inspection of 31 December 2015 and 7 January 2016 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.

The service has a registered manager. Like registered providers, registered managers are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us that they felt safe. We saw that that they were comfortable and familiar with the staff supporting them. Staff members were knowledgeable about people’s needs and preferences.

Staff members had received training in safeguarding adults, and were able to demonstrate their understanding of what this meant for the people they were supporting. They described their roles in ensuring that people were safe and that concerns were reported appropriately.

Some people received support to take their medicines. We saw that medicines were stored safely. Records were appropriately recorded and showed that people received their medicines on time. All staff members had received training in the safe administration of medicines.

We saw that staff supported people in a caring and respectful way. They were responsive to people’s needs and requests and ensured that their privacy was maintained.

The service was meeting the requirements of The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Information about people’s capacity to make decisions was included in their support plans. People told us that staff members had asked for their consent when providing support.

Staff who worked at the service received regular training and supervision. Appropriate checks had taken place as part of the recruitment process to ensure that staff were suitable for the work that they would be undertaking.

People’s support plans and risk assessments were person centred and provided detailed guidance for staff on people's individual needs and preferences. These were regularly reviewed and updated where there were any changes in people’s needs. Regular meetings with people and mental health professionals had taken place to review progress and agree objectives designed to support people to develop greater independence.

The service supported people to participate in a range of activities in the local community. Staff members worked with people to access cultural and social activities in accordance with their preferences.

People knew what to do if they had a complaint or concern. The service had a complaints procedure that was provided in an easy read format. Other information was provided in accessible formats according to people’s needs.

Systems were in place to ensure that the quality of the service was assessed and improved where required. The provider was developing systems to ensure that their quality assurance monitoring was effective.

This inspection took place on 31 December 2015 and 7 January 2016 and was announced

Core Prospects Limited is a supported living service situated in South Harrow. The service provides 24 hour support to four people living at in a shared house, along with individualised support packages to three further people living in their own flats. The people who use the service have mental health support needs, with some having additional needs such as learning disabilities, autism and physical and sensory impairments.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

At our previous inspection of Core Prospects Ltd on 11 October 2013 we found that the service was compliant with the regulations that we assessed.

People who used the service told us that they felt safe and well supported. We observed that people appeared comfortable and familiar with the staff who were supporting them.

People were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff members had received training in safeguarding, and were able to demonstrate their understanding of what this meant for the people they were supporting. They were also knowledgeable about their role in ensuring that people were safe and that concerns were reported appropriately.

Medicines at the service were generally well managed. People’s medicines were managed appropriately and records of medicines were well maintained. Some people managed their own medicines or were being supported to work towards self-management. Medicines risk assessments were in place for people. However, we found that the medicines administration record regarding prescribed pain relief for one person did not include information about who it was for, the dosage and when it should be given. This meant that we could not be sure that the medicine was always administered safely.

We have made a recommendation about the recording of prescribed medicines.

We saw that staff at the service supported people in a caring and respectful way, and responded promptly to meet their needs and requests. There were enough staff members on duty to meet the needs of the people using the service.

Staff who worked at the service received regular relevant training and demonstrated that they were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. Appropriate checks took place as part of the recruitment process to ensure that they were suitable for the work that they would be undertaking. All staff members received regular supervision from a manager, and those whom we spoke with told us that they felt well supported.

The service was meeting the requirements of The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Assessments of capacity had been undertaken. Staff members had received MCA training.

People were supported to shop for and prepare healthy meals. One person told us that staff members were supporting them to learn to cook a wider variety of meals. Records showed that people were supported to make healthy food choices.

Support plans and risk assessments were person centred and provided detailed guidance for staff around meeting people’s needs. Care plans were produced in an easy to read format. People had monthly meetings with their key workers where they were able to assess and review their progress in relation to outcomes identified within their plans.

People participated in a range of community activities along with group activities that were facilitated by the service. Staff members engaged people supportively in participation in activities. People’s cultural, religious and relationship needs were supported by the service as required and detailed information about these was contained in people’s care plans.

The service had a c

At the time of our inspection, the home was providing care for four people with mental health needs. The manager told us the home also supported people to become independent enough for them to move out and live within the community.

People who used the service received appropriate care and support that met their individual needs and were treated with dignity and respect.

There were processes in place to protect people who used the service from harm. The staff had received training to recognise the signs of abuse and to report concerns in accordance with the home's procedures.

There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and accurate and appropriate records were maintained. There was an effective complaints system available.

Records kept were fit for purpose and held securely.

We spoke to one person who uses the service. They told us they have settled well into their new home and the care staff were friendly and good. We were able to communicate with one person who does not verbally communicate but was able to use Makaton (This is a form of sign language that people can use when they have limited communication abilities). The person was able to express they were happy with the service provided to them.

We found that care records were detailed and comprehensive and staff had a good understanding of people’s support needs and were able to meet them effectively. We also found where the service identified a change in a person’s health condition the service ensured the person received the appropriate care and treatment.

We found that people were safeguarded from the risks of abuse. We found that staff were able to tell us about different forms of abuse and how they would report it.

We found that staff were trained in appropriate subject areas to ensure the effective care delivery to people using the service. We also found that staff were supported in professional development and received supervision regularly.

We looked at the quality and monitoring systems and identified the service did not have effective quality and monitoring systems in place to ensure the safety and well being of people using the service.