Background to this inspection
Updated
22 February 2023
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a supported living and domiciliary care agency. This service provides care and support to people living in a supported living setting, so that they can live 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 service is also registered for domiciliary care to provide personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. At the time of the inspection there were 2 people using the service.
This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. A new manager was in place and had submitted an application to register. We are currently assessing this application.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 26 January 2023 and ended on 01 February 2023. We visited the office location on 26 January 2023.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since it registered with CQC.
The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 1 relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 5 members of staff including the nominated individual, the care manager and three care staff. We also made contact with 2 healthcare professionals.
We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people’s care records and the medication records for 1 person. We looked at the 2 staff members files in relation to recruitment. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.
Updated
22 February 2023
About the service
Aspect Supported Living Limited provides care and support to people living in 'supported living' settings so they can live as independently as possible. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of this inspection 2 people who used the service were receiving personal care.
Aspect Supported Living Limited is also registered for domiciliary care, to provide support to people in their own homes. However, at the time of the inspection it was not supporting anyone with this care and support.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The provider's recruitment practices required improvement to ensure people are supported by suitable staff. The small staff team in place knew people well, but care records such as care plans and risk assessments needed more information to give staff clear guidance for managing people’s risks.
Staff adhered to infection control procedures and protected people from the risk of infection. Staff were knowledgeable in safeguarding adults' procedures. People we spoke with said they felt safe with the care and support of staff and staff were caring.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People and relatives said staff were caring, respectful and they were involved in their care and their wishes about how they wanted to be supported.
Checks and audits in place had failed to identify the areas for improvement found at this inspection including safe recruitment processes and the required improvements needed in care planning and risk assessments.
Relatives we spoke with said the service was well managed and staff provided good care. Staff working for the provider told us they felt supported.
The provider was open and receptive to the areas of concern identified in the inspection and after the inspection the provider took immediate action to address some the concerns we found. They had also subscribed to a new management system that was in the process of reviewing care documentation and would also look at recruitment.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 06 October 2021, and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well-led section of this full report to see what actions we have asked the provider to take.
Enforcement
We have identified breaches in relation to good governance. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.