About the service:

Oxfordshire DCA provides personal care covering supported living houses and some outreach in homes for adults with learning disabilities and mental health needs in the Oxfordshire area. At the time of our inspection the service supported nine people.

People’s experience of using this service:

• People were safe. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to report concerns and understood how to keep people safe. We saw that risks to people's safety and well-being were managed through a risk management process. There were systems in place to manage safe administration and storage of medicines. People received their medicines as prescribed.

• People had their needs assessed prior to receiving care to ensure staff were able to meet people’s needs. Staff worked with various local social and health care professionals. Referrals for specialist advice were submitted in a timely manner.

• People continued to be supported by staff that had the right skills and knowledge to fulfil their roles effectively. Staff told us they were well supported by the management team.

• People were supported to meet their nutritional needs and maintain an enjoyable and varied diet.

• People were treated with respect and their dignity was maintained. People were also supported to maintain their independence. The provider had an equality and diversity policy which stated their commitment to equal opportunities and diversity. Staff knew how to support people without breaching their rights. The provider had processes in place to maintain confidentiality.

• 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. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and report on what we find. Staff had a good understanding of the MCA and applied its principles in their work. We saw people were supported without breaching their rights.

• People and their relatives knew how to complain and a complaints policy was in place. People’s input was valued and they were encouraged to feedback on the quality of the service and make suggestions for improvements. People had access to a wide range of individual, meaningful activities.

• The service was not always well-led. People, relatives and staff were complimentary of the registered manager and the management team. The registered manager promoted a positive, transparent and open culture where staff worked well as a team. The provider had effective quality assurance systems in place which were used to drive improvement. The provider worked well in partnership with other organisations. However, the registered manager and provider had not provided some information to CQC when required to do so”.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned, routine inspection.

Follow up:

We will monitor all information received about the service to understand any risks that may arise and to ensure the next planned inspection is scheduled accordingly.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk