This inspection took place on 27 April 2017. We gave the service short notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available during the inspection.

Dalesview Partnership domiciliary care is registered to provide personal care to people for people with a learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder and younger adults in their own homes in Lancashire. The office is based in Clayton le Woods where staff have access to the management of the service along with training facilities. At the time of our inspection the service supported four people in one address.

The service had 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 the last inspection on 22 July 2014 the service was rated as good overall and was meeting the regulatory requirements relevant at that time. During this inspection we found the service was meeting the requirements of the current legislation.

Effective systems were in place for recruitment, selection and training for staff. We saw appropriate numbers of staff in place to meet people’s individual needs.

Staff we spoke with understood their responsibilities when dealing with allegations of abuse. Relatives we spoke with told us they had no concerns about the safety of their family members.

Medicines and risks were managed safely in the service. Where identified risks were noted we saw evidence of actions taken to mitigate any risk.

Care files were detailed, clear and provided information for staff to follow to ensure people’s individual needs were met.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

There was a comprehensive and robust activities programme in place to ensure people lived enriched and fulfilled lives. We observed people who used the service were treated with dignity and respect at all times by staff during our visit to their home.

There was evidence of meal plans and choices in place to meet people’s individual choices of meals. Where special diets were required we saw staff accommodated these in the menu planning and shopping for food. Where people required the involvement of health professionals we saw referrals and assessments had taken place.

We received positive feedback about the leadership and management of the service from staff and relatives of people in receipt of care. There was evidence of regular audits and monitoring taking place and records confirmed feedback from relatives, visiting professionals and staff was obtained.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

We last visited this service on 13 June 2013 and found all the outcomes we inspected to be compliant. This was an announced inspection.

Dalesview Partnership Domiciliary Care is registered to provide personal care. It is a supported living service which provides care and support to four people all of whom lived at the same location.

Prior to the visit we spoke with one health care professional that had visited the service and a local authority commissioner of the service. During our inspection we spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager and three staff members. Following our inspection we spoke with a further three staff members and relatives of two people using the service.

There was a registered manager for the service who had been in place since July 2011. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the registered provider.

Families of people using the service told us they felt their family members were safe. All staff we spoke with were able to tell us appropriate actions to take if they suspected abuse had taken place. All were aware of the company’s whistleblowing policy and were confident that they could raise any concerns to the registered manager.

One member of staff was able to discuss the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards [DoLS] and its relationship to people using service. Deprivation of liberty does not apply within a domiciliary care setting however if any restrictions that amounted to a deprivation were in place these would need to be authorised by the Court of Protection.

There were systems in place to ensure people who used the service were cared for by staff who were supported and received supervision. Staff we spoke with confirmed regular supervision was taking place and we saw evidence of recent supervision sessions which had taken place. We saw that staff were caring and responsive to people’s needs. Evidence that staff had attended training on topics such as dignity and choice was seen.

People using the service were offered choices. For example people were offered trips out, meals and could choose what they wanted to wear. We saw meals were nutritious and attractively presented.

We found care records were individualised and provided information for staff about how they should respond to peoples’ needs. There was evidence of reviews taking place with resources such as voice recording and DVDs used to aid the involvement of people using the service in these reviews. Family members told us they were happy with the care their relatives received.

Meaningful and individualised activities were taking place. Staff gave examples of activities such as swimming, shopping, the theatre and trampolining that were taking place. Family members of people using services told us activities were taking place in the service and that these were tailored to people’s individual needs.

The service had a quality monitoring and audit system in place. The registered manager told us weekly checks took place and, where necessary, actions would be taken as a result of these.

We met all the people who used the service during our inspection. Whilst they did not give us any specific views about the service they received, we saw that they appeared to be very happy and relaxed in their surroundings and got along extremely well with their support staff.

We made contact with some parents of people who used the service to discuss their views. In general, the feedback we received was extremely positive and people expressed satisfaction with the standard of care and support provided.

Comments included;

‘’We feel lucky to have the service. We couldn’t ask for better.’’

‘’(Name removed) is always very happy and is so well cared for!’’

‘’I visit very regularly and don’t arrange it. I just go and I’m always happy with how I find him.’’

Another parent told us that they had previously identified some concerns about the care their loved one had received but told us that they felt the manager had been very responsive and dealt with their concerns effectively.

During this inspection we looked at how the provider promoted people's welfare and safety and processes for the management of people’s medication. We examined how the provider ensured that any staff recruited were suitable to work with vulnerable people. In addition, we looked at processes used by the provider to monitor quality and deal with any concerns or complaints. We found the provider to be compliant with all the areas we assessed.

At the time of our visit there were only three people using the service and only one person available to see us, the other tenants were out enjoying activities in the community. The person we met wasn’t able to tell us her specific views about the service, but we saw that she appeared comfortable and relaxed in her surroundings.

We made contact with some parents of people who use Dalesview services. Everyone we spoke with expressed satisfaction with the standard of care provided for their son or daughter.

‘’We are absolutely delighted’’ commented one parent, ‘’we couldn’t ask for anything more.’’ Another person said ‘’We are happy with the way (name removed) is looked after and I find all the staff absolutely lovely.’’