We carried out a review of the data available to us about Voyage (DCA) Somerset & Devon on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Voyage (DCA) Somerset & Devon, you can give feedback on this service.
Voyage (DCA) Somerset and Devon is a domiciliary care and supported living service which provides support to people in their own homes.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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 our inspection, the service was providing personal care to 24 people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
This was a targeted inspection that considered systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuse. Based on our inspection we found systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuse were in place and being followed.
Relatives told us people were safe. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it.
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 (published 24 March 2022).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about safeguarding. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe sections of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Voyage (DCA) Somerset & Devon on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
We use targeted inspections to follow up on Warning Notices or to check concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
About the service
Voyage (DCA) Somerset & Devon is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to people with additional needs such as learning disabilities and autism. At the time of inspection, 21 people were receiving support across eight services, including shared homes and self-contained flats.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support
¿ The service supported people to now have the maximum possible choice, control and independence and they had control over their own lives. We were told staffing had previously impacted people’s support and the provider had recognised this so been undertaking recruitment drive.
¿ The service worked with people to plan for when they experienced periods of distress so that their freedoms were restricted only if there was no alternative.
¿ The service gave people care and support in a safe, clean, well equipped, well-furnished and well-maintained environment that met their sensory and physical needs. However, this had not always been the case due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions creating delays in refurbishment. Also, unstable management in the past not always liaising with the housing providers.
¿ People had a choice about their living environment and were able to personalise their rooms. Some people were proud to show us how they had personalised their rooms and flats. This included using posters, choosing colours and bed linen.
¿ Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence and achieved the best possible health outcome.
¿ Staff supported people to play an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing. However, there were occasions when staff levels meant people’s preferences were not always met. The management were in the process of addressing this including through recruitment.
Right Care
¿ Staff promoted equality and diversity in their support for people. They understood people’s cultural needs and provided culturally appropriate care.
¿ People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs.
¿ Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked in partnership with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to follow the principles.
¿ The service had not always deployed enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. This had led to inconsistencies in people’s care and support. The new management had recognised this issue so were actively resolving it with a recruitment drive and targeting training where it was required.
¿ People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs. However, the recently appointed manager had identified that further work was required on training staff to communicate using a wider range of methods.
¿ People’s care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life.
¿ People received care that supported their needs and aspirations, was focused on their quality of life, and followed best practice. The provider representatives and manager had recognised this had not always been the case due to inconsistent management. They had clear plans for further improvements.
¿ Staff and people cooperated to assess risks people might face. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks.
Right culture
¿ People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff. Past inconsistencies had been recognised by the manager and systems were being put in place to rectify this and improve communication.
¿ People received good quality care, support and treatment because trained staff and specialists could meet their needs and wishes. Past shortages and inconsistent management had been identified by the provider’s systems and were in the process of being rectified.
¿ The provider’s systems recognised people had not always been supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have. The new management were already rectifying this situation.
¿ Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. This had recently been impacted by use of agency staff and high turnover of staff.
¿ Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did.
¿ People and those important to them, including advocates, were involved in planning their care.
¿ People’s quality of life was enhanced by the service’s culture of improvement and inclusivity.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture.
We received concerns in relation to staffing, management of the service and concerns in relation to people’s support. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Voyage (DCA) Somerset & Devon on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.
Voyage (DCA) Somerset & Devon provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It also provides support to people living in supported living services. In supported living services people’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.
At the time of the inspection they were providing personal care and support to seven people in two supported living services and four people living in their own homes. They currently provide care and support to people living in the counties of Somerset and Devon.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they were safe. There were systems in place to protect people from potential abuse. Staff felt confident to raise any concerns with the registered manager. Staff supported people to manage their medicines safety.
There were enough staff available to support people’s needs and staff were recruited safely. Risks to people were identified and guidance was in place for staff to reduce the identified risks. People had detailed plans in place for staff to follow if they became anxious. Incidents were analysed, and lessons were learnt to prevent further incidents.
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.
Staff received regular one to one supervision and told us they felt supported. Staff received a range of training to meet the needs of the people they supported.
Support plans were detailed and reviewed with the person and their relatives when possible. People were supported to attend health appointments and encouraged to lead healthy lives. Staff supported and promoted people’s rights in relation to equality and diversity.
People were supported by caring staff who worked towards promoting their dignity, privacy and independence.
Staff provided person-centred support by listening to people and engaging them at every opportunity. Staff were caring and understanding towards people. People using the service appeared comfortable in the presence of staff working in the service.
Where people raised concerns, these were addressed and responded to by staff and the registered manager.
People, staff and visiting professionals spoke highly of the registered manager and senior team. There were effective systems in place to monitor the service and drive improvement.
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 (published 17 June 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Voyage (DCA) Somerset and Devon provides personal care to people living in their own homes and in supported living houses with shared occupancy. They provide care and support in the counties of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. People who live in the shared supported living properties have individual tenancy agreements. At the time of the inspection they were providing personal care and support to eleven people. We visited two supported living properties which were shared by two people in one property and four in the other to discuss the care they received. One person agreed to talk with us about their experience of the care they received although they had limited communication. Other people living in the shared accommodation either had limited communication or chose not to talk with us. We observed how people interacted with staff and whether they were relaxed and happy.
This was the first inspection since Voyage (DCA) Somerset and Devon registered with the CQC. No concerns have been identified with the care being provided to people during the registration process.
At the time of the inspection the manager was going through the registration process to become a registered manager. 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.
All staff had attended training relevant to their roles however; they had not received training that was specific to the special needs of some people they supported. For example they had not received training in Asperger’s or Autism even though they cared for people living with these conditions. The new manager confirmed they had highlighted the need for staff to attend specific training and we saw dates planned for the week following our inspection. One care worker said, “We look after people with Asperger’s and Autism but never been trained in what it means to live with the conditions. I am so glad the new manager has found a course for us to go to, I am looking forward to it.”
Supervision and one to one sessions with a manger had not been a regular occurrence. Staff confirmed they had not had regular one to one supervision until the new manager had re-instated them. They told us they had all had a one to one meeting with the manager and they had dates for further meetings and team meetings with their line manager. The manager confirmed they had noted staff supervisions and team meetings had not been happening. They arranged for all staff to receive a supervision date and had been working with all the staff to ensure they received at least four one to one meetings a year and an annual appraisal.
There were systems in place to monitor the care provided and people’s views and opinions were sought on a daily basis. However; the manager explained that when they first took up their post they had conducted a quality audit of the service and found work needed doing to bring the service in line with current best practice. They had contacted the organisations quality team and asked for a whole service audit to highlight the areas for improvement. The manager had a clear action plan and this showed some areas had already been improved whilst others were in progress. Suggestions for change were listened to and actions taken to improve the service provided. All incidents and accidents were monitored, trends identified and learning shared with staff to put into practice.
People who received care and support from Voyage (DCA) Somerset and Devon indicated they were happy with the service provided. Care workers said the manager and team leaders were open and approachable and cared about people’s personal preferences and maintaining their independence. One person agreed to talk to us, when we asked them if they thought they were looked after well and safely they said “Yes.” One relative said, “[The person’s name] is very, very happy and settled.”
People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had a clear knowledge and understanding of their personal needs, likes and dislikes. We observed care workers took the time to talk with people during our visit. One care worker said, “We have a really good team and work well together. This means we get to know the people we work with, what they like, and how they like to be supported.”
We observed people were cared for and supported by care workers who were polite, compassionate and caring. One person indicated “Yes,” when we asked if people respected their privacy and dignity.
People’s care needs were recorded and reviewed regularly with care workers and the person receiving the care. All care plans included written consent to care. Care workers had comprehensive information and guidance in care plans to deliver consistent care in the way people preferred.
During our visit we observed a relaxed and friendly relationship between people and the care workers. They were all very happy and relaxed throughout the visit and indicated they were very happy with the staff delivering their care.
The manager had a clear vision for the service. They explained they wanted to build a knowledgeable staff team who felt supported and valued so they would pass those values on in their work. They also said their aim was to provide care and support in a person centred way, respecting people’s individual wishes as far as was possible. The manager explained how they planned to involve people more with the running of the organisation.
People were protected from abuse because the provider had systems in place to ensure checks of new staff character and suitability to work with vulnerable adults were carried out. Staff had also received training in protecting vulnerable people from abuse.
The service had a complaints policy and procedure that was included in people’s care plans. People and staff said they felt confident they could raise concerns with the manager and they would be dealt with appropriately.
There were systems in place to monitor the care provided and people’s views and opinions were sought on a daily basis. Suggestions for change were listened to and actions taken to improve the service provided. All incidents and accidents were monitored, trends identified and learning shared with staff to put into practice.