This announced inspection took place on 27 and 29 March 2018. This was the first comprehensive inspection for the service.

This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. People using this service lived in one house and at the time of the inspection there were two people using the service.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

The service had 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.

Improvements were required to ensure that adequate recruitment practices were adhered to and that people’s medicines were given in approved ways. There were adequate numbers of staff on duty to keep people safe and people had risk assessments in place which encouraged their independence and kept them safe. Safeguarding systems were in place and the staff and management had a good understanding of how to report any concerns.

People were actively involved in decisions about their care and support needs and there were systems in place to assess people’s capacity for decision making under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People’s nutritional and healthcare needs were regularly monitored. Staff were given regular supervision and feedback about their performance and training was used to help staff be efficient and skilled at supporting people’s specific needs.

People were treated with care, compassion, and respect. Staff had an empowering and empathetic attitude to support people’s personal development, and each person was supported in a way that was individual to them. People were treated with dignity and respect and staff were pre-prepared to support people if their dignity was compromised whilst out in the community. The registered manager understood the value of good advocacy and had systems available to people who required it.

People’s relatives were involved in completing comprehensive assessments when people began to use the service and people’s care packages were designed around each person’s individual needs, styles, preferences, and values. Care plans were regularly updated and contained accurate information. Procedures to manage complaints had been established and people and their relatives were aware of how they could do this.

Quality assurance systems were in place to help improve the service. When an area for improvement had been identified this was acted on promptly. Feedback from people’s relatives was exceptionally positive and relatives commented on the great progress they had seen since their relatives had started using the service.