Creative Support –Whitby, Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland are registered to provide personal care to people with a learning disability in the Whitby, Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland area. The service is one of a group of services provided by Creative Support Limited which is a not for profit organisation with charitable status. They also provide support living services which are staffed 24 hours a day.

Inspection site visit activity started on 24 April 2018 and finished on 21 May 2018. At the time of this inspection, the service supported 11 people.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the overall rating of good. There was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going 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.

There was a manager in post who had registered with the Care Quality Commission. They assisted throughout the inspection process.

Safe recruitment processes continued to be followed. Staff received safeguarding training and were familiar with the process they needed to follow if they had any concerns. Risk assessments were completed when any risks were identified. Staff received medicines training and we found medicines were stored and administered safely.

New staff completed an induction when they joined the service. People were supported by a regular team of competent staff who had completed training, relevant to their role. Staff received supported through a regular system of supervisions and one to one discussions.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff had good working relationships with other health professionals and sought advice and guidance where needed.

People told us they were well cared for. Staff demonstrated a positive regard for what was important and mattered to people. Staff promoted people’s independence in line with the vision of the service.

People and relatives confirmed they were actively involved in the planning of care. Care plans contained guidance specific to the individual. People and relatives told us they knew how to make a complaint. The provider had a complaints policy in place which was available in large print and displayed within services.

Records had not always been completed fully. For example, MCA assessments, best interest decisions and regular reviews of people’s care plans and risk assessments were not fully recorded. The registered manager took swifts action to address this during the inspection.

A range of quality assurance processes were in place to monitor and improve the service. The registered manager attended meetings, presentations and training courses to ensure they kept up to date with best practice guidance. Staff told us the registered manager was approachable, responsive and listened to any ideas for areas of improvement.

People and relatives were asked to provide feedback on the service. However, action plans to address any concerns raised specific to the service were not in place.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

This inspection took place on 16 October 2015 and was announced. When we last inspected the service on 29 November 2013 we found no breaches of regulations.

Creative Support –Whitby service is registered to provide personal care to people with a learning disability in the Whitby, moors and coast area. The service is one of a group of services provided by Creative Support Limited which is a not for profit organisation with charitable status. Creative Support – Whitby service provided supported living services for 18 people on the day of our inspection but only three of those required personal care. All three people lived in accommodation managed by a housing provider.

There was a registered manager employed by this service. 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 at this service demonstrated how safe they felt through their verbal and non-verbal communication and their reactions to staff. They were supported in their own homes but staff took steps with regard to people’s health and safety to make sure they remained safe. Accidents and incidents had been recorded.

Each person had a very detailed care and support plan written in the first person which explained how staff could best support them. There were associated risk assessments completed. When people required support to take their medicines, staff had been trained and were competent to do so.

Staff had been recruited safely and there were sufficient staff to meet peoples assessed needs. The service had a bank of staff to provide support for unexpected absences or other events. They received training through the company training academy and where specialist training was required the service used health professionals or external trainers. Staff were supported through regular supervision.

Staff were working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and recognised where the deprivation of liberty safeguards may be appropriate for people they supported.

People were supported to engage in activities which were meaningful to them and encouraged them to be part of the local community. People’s views about the service were sought and acted upon.

In order to maintain the quality of the service a service performance review was completed regularly.

We visited Creative Support and spoke with two people who used the service, one member of staff and the registered manager. We found that people were involved in planning their support and had an appropriate level of independence.

Support plans were detailed and person centred and people were very happy with the service that was provided to them. One person said “I love it here. The best thing is how helpful the staff are”. Another person said “I like it here very much. They are very good”.

We found that the environment was kept clean and tidy and all the areas we looked at were hygienic. Both staff and people who used the service showed an understanding of good infection control practice.

There was a system in place to allow staff to access a wide variety of relevant training and support and supervision were effective and well received by staff. There was a comprehensive system in place for quality assurance of all aspects of the service.

We carried out an unannounced scheduled inspection at Creative Support Whitby (The Penthouse) to look at various areas of the service delivered. We found that the service had numerous ways of gaining consent from people before carrying out any care or support.

We looked at the care and welfare of people who used the service and found there to be an excellent standard of support being delivered. People who used the service were very happy with their support. One person told us “I really like living here”. Another person told us “Its spiffing here!” Care plan documentation was detailed and up to date.

We found that there were robust safeguarding procedures in place and staff knowledge was very good. People told us they felt safe. We looked at staff records and spoke with staff. We found that the organisation carried out the appropriate checks when employing people and that staffing levels were appropriate for the people who used the service and their level of need.

We found that the service had robust systems in place for checking the quality of the service being provided. People who used the service were asked for their input frequently and this was used to manage the direction of the service. Management carried out regular checks on all aspects of the service.