Dimensions Berkshire Domiciliary Care Office is a domiciliary care agency providing a supported living service for approximately 146 people throughout Berkshire. The service supports people with a learning disability and associated needs. This service provides care and support to people living in a number of ‘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 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.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good.

People and their relatives felt confident that people were safe and secure when receiving care. Staff understood people's needs and knew how to protect them from the risk of abuse. Risks to people's safety were identified and assessments were in place to manage identified risks. Where people required support to take prescribed medicines, staff had received training to assist people safely.

Sufficient staff were deployed to ensure that people had a consistently reliable service. Recruitment procedures to appoint new staff were thorough.

People were supported to take their medicines safely. We have made a recommendation in relation to ensuring appropriate guidance is in place relating to ‘as required’ medication.

People who use the service used a range of communication methods. These included non-verbal to limited verbal communication. People's individual methods of communication were clearly understood by staff.

People received good quality care. Staff treated people with respect and kindness at all times and were passionate about providing a quality service that was person centred. People were encouraged to live a fulfilled life with activities of their choosing and were supported to keep in contact with their families.

People's dignity and privacy was respected. People told us staff were reliable, friendly, and caring. Staff developed positive and caring relationships with the people they supported and used creative ways to enable people to remain independent.

There were a range of quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided and understand the experiences of people who used the service. The provider involved people and their relatives in monitoring their services and staff teams discussed their findings. We have made a recommendation in relation to audits of medicine administration records.

People received their care and support from a staff team that had a full understanding of people's care needs and the skills and knowledge to meet them. Staff were given an induction when they started and had access to a range of training to provide them with the level of skills and knowledge to deliver care efficiently.

Further information is in the detailed findings in the full report.

This inspection took place on the 10 & 16 May 2016 and was announced.

Dimensions Berkshire Domiciliary Care Office is a domiciliary care agency providing a supported living service for approximately 158 people throughout Berkshire. A range of support is provided to people living in their own homes, some of whom share accommodation with others. The service supports people with a learning disability and associated needs.

There was a registered manager for the 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 told us that they felt safe with staff and would be confident to raise any concerns they had. The provider’s recruitment procedures were robust, medicines were managed safely and there were sufficient staff to provide safe and effective care.

There were procedures in place to manage risks to people and staff. Staff were aware of how to deal with emergency situations and knew how to keep people safe by reporting concerns promptly through processes that they understood well.

Staff received an induction and spent time working with experienced members of staff before working alone with people. Staff were supported to receive the training and development they needed to care for and support people’s individual needs.

People said they felt listened to and were happy with the service provided. They told us that staff treated them with kindness and respected and involved them in decisions about their care.

People’s needs were reviewed regularly. Individual care plans were in place which provided information about people’s care needs and they were designed to promote person-centred care. Up to date information was communicated to staff to ensure they provided appropriate care. Staff contacted healthcare professionals in a timely manner if there were concerns about a person’s wellbeing.

People told us they had been asked for their views on the service and were able to raise concerns and complaints if they needed to. They felt confident that staff and members of the management team would take action if necessary.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. There were various formal methods used for assessing and improving the quality of care. Feedback was sought from people and care records were audited. Complaints were addressed and action taken according to the provider’s policy.

People's rights to make their own decisions were protected. Managers and staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They were aware of their responsibilities related to the Act and ensured that any decisions made on behalf of people were made within the law and in their best interests.