We carried out an announced inspection of Creative Support – Salford Physical Disabilities Service on 05 and 06 April 2017. The service was newly registered in 2015 and this was the first time it had been inspected.

Creative Support – Salford Physical Disabilities Service provides a 24 hour supported living service for adults with physical disability and other associated complex health needs. Accommodation consists of purpose built bungalows located in two residential streets within Swinton and a two bed flat within a nearby large housing complex. The accommodation is owned and maintained by Contour Housing with Creative Support – Salford Physical Disabilities Service providing the care and support to people who are tenants in these properties. At the time of inspection 11 people were using the service, however only nine were in receipt of regulated activities and included in the inspection.

People using the service told us they felt safe. We saw the service had appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures in place. Staff had all received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults and were able to demonstrate a good understanding of how to report both safeguarding and whistleblowing concerns.

Both people using the service and staff members felt enough staff were employed to meet people’s needs. The service was utilising agency staff to cover any shortfalls on the rota whilst on-going recruitment was completed. People had been asked for their views and agreement on the use of agency staff.

We saw that robust recruitment procedures were in place to ensure staff working for the service met the required standards. This involved all staff having a Disclosure and Baring Service (DBS) check, at least two references and full work history documented. The service maintained a recruitment pack for each person which contained details of DBS certification, references, interview paperwork and other documentation to evidence what steps had been taken to ensure safe recruitment practices were followed.

Staff were complimentary about both induction and refresher training, and confirmed they received an appropriate level of training to carry out their role effectively. We saw all staff completed a comprehensive induction training programme, and a period of time shadowing experienced care staff, before being allowed to work with people who used the service. We saw the service had systems in place to ensure that staff received regular refresher training to ensure their skills and knowledge remained up to date.

We saw there was both a policy and systems in place to ensure safe medicines management was maintained. People we spoke with confirmed they received appropriate support to ensure medicines were taken when required and as prescribed. We saw the service carried out regular audits to ensure medicines had been administered correctly.

People spoke positively about the standard of care. People told us that staff treated them kindly, with dignity and respect whilst also promoting their independence wherever possible. People were fully involved in all aspects of their care and support and encouraged to set and achieve personal goals.

We looked at three care plans, which contained detailed and personalised information about the people who used the service. The care plans also contained individual risk assessments, which helped to ensure people’s safety was maintained. We saw that people had been involved in planning their care and were asked for their feedback through completion of reviews and questionnaires.

We saw that there were a range of systems and procedures in place to monitor the quality of the service. Audits were carried out both internally by staff and the registered manager and externally by the locality manager, which included a regular comprehensive audit of the entire service provision. We saw that action points generated through the auditing process had been carried through and documented.