Background to this inspection
Updated
5 November 2021
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
This inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in one ‘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 had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that people would be available to speak with us.
What we did before the inspection
We looked at the information we had about the service including the last inspection report and we contacted the local authority to seek their views about the service.
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We used this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with the registered manager, the co-director and a member of the care staff team. Not everyone using the service could express their views about their care so we observed them interacting with care staff in the communal areas for a short period as they did not want to speak with us. We spoke with one person using the service and a relative by phone to obtain their views.
We reviewed documents and records that related to people's care and the management of the service. This included two staff recruitment files, medicines records and incident records.
After the inspection
We spoke with two additional members of staff by phone. We continued to seek further evidence and clarification from the provider, which we have included in the report. We also spoke with another relative by phone to gather their feedback about the service. we tried unsuccessfully to gather feedback from two health professionals.
Updated
5 November 2021
About the service
Positive Opportunities Limited - 83a Sutherland Avenue, is a supported living service providing personal care to people aged 18 and over with learning disabilities and/or autism. At the time of the inspection, two people were living in a shared house and received personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
There were checks in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service but some were not recorded and so it was unclear how improvements or action needed were identified.
People were comfortable with staff and told us they felt safe at the service. Relatives remarked they felt their loved one’s were safe. Staff understood their roles in safeguarding people from harm.
Risks to people had been assessed and staff knew people well and understood how to manage any risks safely. There was a process to identify learning from accidents, incidents and safeguarding concerns.
There were enough staff to support people and safe recruitment practices were followed. Medicines were safely administered and stored. The service had policies and procedures to respond effectively to Covid-19. Staff followed appropriate infection control practices to prevent or minimise the spread of infection.
People's nutritional needs were assessed and supported. Staff worked proactively with health professionals to meet people's health needs. Staff told us they received training and support to meet people's needs.
Staff asked for people's consent before they provided care or support. 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 were supported by a small consistent staff team who knew them well. Relatives said staff treated people with care and kindness. Staff treated people with dignity, respected their privacy and encouraged their independence. People were now more involved and consulted about their daily care.
People had personalised plans for their care. These were up to date and reflected their needs. They were supported to take part in a range of personalised activities that met their needs. People's needs in respect of their protected characteristics, such as their ethnicity or disability were assessed and supported.
The registered manager understood the requirements of their role and fostered a culture of openness and empowerment. Staff worked in partnership with relatives, health and social care professionals and voluntary organisations. People’s views were sought about the service informally and more formally through surveys to see if there were any areas for improvement needed.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Right support:
The model of support provided was focused on giving people choice, control and as much independence as possible. People lived in their own shared house in a residential area similar to others in the road, with no distinguishing signs and access to transport links.
Right care:
People and relatives said staff were proactive in supporting people in a way that promoted their dignity, privacy and human rights. People were encouraged and consistently supported to develop and maintain skills and develop confidence. They had their own goals and ambitions which were regularly reviewed with them.
Right culture:
Staff told us that the provider and registered manager was committed to providing opportunities to ensure people using the service could lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives. They had for example previously organised a disco for people with learning disabilities in the area in a local night club.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good. (Report published 21 November 2019).
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.