This announced inspection took place on 14 and 15 September 2017. We last inspected the service in October 2015 when we found it was meeting the regulations we reviewed.

Select Support Partnerships (referred to throughout the report as Select Support) is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. The service specialises in providing support to people with a learning disability or who have mental health needs. Support is provided both to individuals and to people living in small group settings in Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire and Wigan. At the time of our inspection there were 74 people using the service.

The provider had a registered manager in place as required by the conditions of their registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 they had no concerns about their safety when they received support from staff employed by Select Support. They told us staff always treated them with respect and supported them to develop their independent living skills. Recruitment processes were sufficiently robust to protect people from the risks of unsuitable staff

Staff had received training in safeguarding adults. They were aware of the procedure to follow should they witness or suspect abuse. They told us they would also be confident to report any poor practice they observed from colleagues and were confident their concerns would be taken seriously by the registered manager.

People who received support from staff to take their prescribed medicines told us they had no concerns about this. We saw appropriate systems were in place to help ensure the safe handling of medicines.

Risk assessments were in place in relation to each individual’s mental health needs as well as any environmental risks; these helped to protect the health and welfare of people who used the service and staff. Arrangements were in place to help ensure the prevention and control of infection.

Staff told us they received the induction, training and supervision they needed to be able to deliver safe and effective care. The induction programme in place included training in safeguarding adults and children, the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005, equality and diversity, first aid and fire safety. Staff were also required to complete a period of shadowing more experienced staff before they were allowed to work independently without close supervision.

The provider was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. Staff were able to tell us how they supported people to make their own decisions and choices. A range of communication tools were used by staff to help people engage in discussions about their care and support.

Staff had a good understanding of people’s needs and goals. They demonstrated a commitment to providing high quality care which was personalised and tailored to the needs of each individual. People who used the service told us they were always able to make changes to their support plan should their needs or interests change.

There were numerous opportunities for people who used the service to comment on the support they received. We noted the responses in the provider’s most recent satisfaction survey were all very positive. A number of compliments about the positive impact of the service had also been received from relatives and professionals involved in people’s care.

Staff we spoke with told us they enjoyed working in the service and that the registered manager was supportive and approachable. Regular staff meetings meant that staff were able to make suggestions about how the service could be improved. Staff told us their views were always listened to.

There were systems

We carried out a comprehensive inspection of this service on 26 and 27 February 2015 at which a breach of legal requirements was found. This was because the registered person did not have suitable arrangements in place to obtain and act in accordance with the consent of people who used the service in relation to the care and treatment provided for them.

After the comprehensive inspection the provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to the breach. We undertook an announced focused inspection on 6 October 2015 to check that they had followed their plan and to review whether they met the legal requirements in relation to the need for consent. We found that the required improvements had been made and the regulation was now met. This was because systems and processes were in place to help care and support was only provided to people with their consent or the agreement of someone legally authorised to act on their behalf.

This report only covers our findings in relation to this topic. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for ‘Select Support Partnerships Ltd - Blackburn’ on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Select Support Partnerships is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. The service specialises in providing support to people with a learning disability or who experience mental health issues. Support is provided both to individuals and to people living in small group settings. At the time of our inspection there were 45 people using the service.

There was no registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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. The new manager had submitted their application to register with the Care Quality Commission.

The policy relating to the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 had been reviewed; this legislation is designed to protect people who may be unable to make certain decisions for themselves. Since our last inspection staff had received additional training in this legislation. They told us they now felt much more confident about the action they should take to help ensure people’s rights were fully protected.

Procedures were in place to ensure that assessments were undertaken regarding people’s ability to make their own decisions. Where people lacked the capacity to make particular decisions protocols were in place for staff to follow. The protocols we reviewed provided evidence that staff had considered how they could meet people’s needs without putting unnecessary restrictions in place.

People who used the service told us they were happy with care, staff and the way they were supported at home and in the community.

Plans of care were detailed for staff to follow and were reviewed regularly to keep their care up to date. Families were also kept informed of any changes to be able to support their relative.

Staff told us they were well trained. Records we looked at showed staff received an induction, received regular training and could bring up topics they thought would support them at supervision.

There was a complaints procedure and the service responded appropriately to concerns or safeguarding issues.

We spoke with three people who used the service in their homes. Two people lived independently and one person shared accommodation.

Three people who used the service said, "I do some things for myself but they help me with other things. I like to go out and they help me to do that", "I have a good social life. I like to go out to restaurants" and "I look after myself, staff support me rather than do everything. It's my choice what I do". People who used the service told us they were encouraged to live independent lives and were encouraged to be part of the local community.

People told us they appreciated staff and said, "The staff are very good with me. I get the same staff and they are very reliable", "I am very happy with the staff who come here" and "The staff are very good".

Two staff members told us they felt "supported" and "well trained" to be able to meet peoples' needs.

This was an announced inspection which took place on 26 and 27 February 2015. We had previously carried out an inspection in August 2013 when we found the service to be meeting all the regulations we reviewed.

Select Support Partnerships is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. The service specialises in providing support to people with a learning disability or who experience mental health issues. Support is provided both to individuals and to people living in small group settings. At the time of our inspection there were 42 people using the service.

The provider had a registered manager in place as required by the conditions of their registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.

We found a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 which corresponds to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This was because restrictions were in place for some people without an assessment of their capacity to make the decisions involved being undertaken. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.

People who used the service told us they felt safe with the staff who supported them. Staff had completed training in how to safeguard vulnerable adults and knew the action they should take if they had any concerns in order to protect people who used the service.

Recruitment processes were robust and should help protect people from the risks of unsuitable staff. People told us there were always enough staff to meet their needs and that staff respected their choices about the support they wanted to receive.

Systems were in place to ensure the safe administration of medicines. The registered manager was in the process of introducing a process of regularly checking that staff were able to administer medicines safely.

Staff received induction, training, supervision and appraisal to help ensure they were able to deliver effective care. Staff received training to help them meet the specific needs of the people they were supporting.

Although people were assisted to develop and review their own support plans, we found some care records did not always reflect how people said they wanted their support to be delivered.

There were systems in place to help ensure people’s health and nutritional needs were monitored and met.

People who used the service provided positive feedback about the staff who supported them. During the inspection we noted warm, friendly and respectful interactions between staff and the people they were supporting.

Staff were aware of the interests and preferences of people who used the service. All the staff we spoke with demonstrated a commitment to promoting the independence of people they were supporting.

All the people we spoke with told us they would speak to a manager in the service if they had any concerns or complaints. They were confident they would be listened to and that action would be taken to resolve their concerns.

A number of quality assurance systems were in place. Both staff and people who used the service were encouraged to comment on the service provided and to identify where any improvements could be made.