About the service: Link-Ability (West Lancs) provides support to adults of all ages and young people in transition to adult hood both in their own homes and in a supported living setting. Some of the people they support have additional needs such as autism, sensory impairment (difficulty in seeing and or hearing), physical disability or need a higher level of care such as monitoring of their health. The 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. At the time of the inspection 14 people accessed services provided by Link-Ability (West-Lancs).

People’s experience of using this service: People who used the service and their representatives told us they were supported in a safe way, we found staff had good understanding of safeguarding adults and systems were robust to protect people from avoidable harm, neglect and abuse. People who used the service were encouraged to manage their medicines in a safe way and for those who needed staff support to manage their medicines, we found the service followed best practice procedures. People were individually risk assessed and environmental safety risk assessments were undertaken and reviewed.

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. People’s needs and choices were assessed and their care and support was delivered to achieve effective outcomes.

People who used the service were supported to maintain a balanced diet and nutritional assessments were undertaken in a person-centred way. The provider made sure staff were safely recruited and supported throughout their employment. Staff received training that helped them understand the needs of people they supported.

People were treated with kindness, respect and compassion and given emotional support when needed. Care plans included person-centred information and we found people were encouraged to maintain their independence. People's individual needs and interests were well understood by the staff that supported them.

People who accessed the service for supported living or domiciliary care were encouraged to maintain an independent lifestyle as much as possible and the service demonstrated an inclusive ethos that enabled people to be in control of their lives.

We observed staff support and interact with people in a kind way. We saw that staff had built trusting relationships with people who accessed the service and staff told us this was a key part to keeping people safe.

The service had a robust system for responding to people's complaints and collating feedback. People were consistently positive about the leadership and management of the service. We found that the provider had effective management systems to monitor and quality assure all aspects of the service. Quality assurance records showed that shortfalls were quickly addressed and learnt from.

Rating at last inspection: This was the first inspection since the service registered with the Care Quality Commission 18 October 2017.

Follow up: We will return to reinspect the service as per our inspection programme. We will continue to monitor any information we receive about the service and we will bring the inspection forward if we receive any concerning information.