Supported Living (Cornwall) is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people with a learning disability or a mental health condition in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing 24 hour supported living services to four people. A supported living service is one where people live in their own home and receive care and support to enable people to live in their own home 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.

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.

There was a registered manager in post who was responsible for the day-to-day running of 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.

We carried out this announced inspection on 16 January 2018. At the last inspection, in October 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe using the service and said they trusted the staff who supported them. People were extremely satisfied with the quality of the service they received and the caring approach from staff. People said about the service, “Staff are good”, and “They are the best support workers I’ve ever had. I’m just so glad I met them.”

Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse. All were clear about how to report any concerns and were confident that any allegations made would be fully investigated to help ensure people were protected.

Risk assessments clearly identified any risk and gave staff guidance on how to minimise the risk. They were designed to keep people and staff safe while allowing people to develop and maintain their independence.

Staff were aware of the reporting process for any accidents or incidents that occurred and there was a system in place to record incidents. Where accidents, incidents or near misses had occurred these had been reported to the service’s managers and documented in the service’s accident book.

People were supported by dedicated teams who were employed to work specifically with each person using the service. People told us they were never supported by someone they did not know. People told us “Staff in my team do a brilliant job.” Some people were involved in the recruitment of staff in their teams.

Staff were recruited in a safe way and available in sufficient numbers to meet people’s needs. Staff were supported by a system of induction, training, one-to-one supervision and appraisals to

ensure they were effective in their role.

People were supported by stable and consistent staff teams who knew people well and had received training specific to their needs. Training records showed staff had been provided with all the necessary training which had been refreshed regularly.

People told us they had “never” experienced a missed care visit. The service had robust and effective procedures in place to ensure that all planned care visits were provided. The service’s visit schedules were well organised and there were a sufficient number of staff available to provide people’s care visits in accordance with their preferences.

There were processes in place to protect people and the security of their home when they received personal care, for exam

Supported Living (Cornwall) is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people with a learning disability or a mental health condition in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing 24 hour supported living services to four people. A supported living service is one where people live in their own home and receive care and support to enable people to live independently without total reliance on parents or guardians. People have tenancy agreements with a landlord and receive their care and support from the domiciliary care agency. As the housing and care arrangements are separate, people can choose to change their care provider and remain living in the same house.

There was 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.

We carried out this inspection on 12 October 2015 and this was the first inspection for the service since starting to operate in December 2014.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe using the service and said they trusted the staff who supported them. People said about the service, “It’s [the service] alright” and “I am OK”.

Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse. All were clear about how to report any concerns and were confident that any allegations made would be fully investigated to help ensure people were protected. People were supported by dedicated teams who were employed to work specifically with each person using the service. People told us they were never supported by someone they did not know.

People received care from staff who knew them well, and had the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. One person told us, “They [staff] look after me well”. Staff spoke about the people they supported fondly and displayed pride in people’s accomplishments and a willingness to support people to be as independent as possible. One said, “It is great seeing people improve and become more independent”.

Staff supported people to maintain a healthy lifestyle where this was part of their support plan. People told us staff supported them with their food shopping and assisted them with the preparation and cooking of their meals.

People were supported to access the local community and they told us they were taking part in activities that they enjoyed and wanted to do. During visits to people’s homes we were told people had been out for various parts of the day to college, day centres, walks, and shopping

The management and staff had a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how to make sure people who did not have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves had their legal rights protected.

There was a positive culture in the service, the management team provided strong leadership and led by example. Management were visible and known to staff and all the people using the service. Staff told us, “Management are very supportive”, “There are good structures in place and good communication” and “I have always been able to make contact with management easily when I have needed any support”.

There were effective quality assurance systems in place to make sure that any areas for improvement were identified and addressed.