Background to this inspection
Updated
14 April 2021
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 two inspectors.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in 'supported living' settings, 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 and they were in the process of being registered with the Care Quality Commission. Once registered, 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
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 or manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 3 March 2021 and ended on 11 March 2021. We visited the office location on 3 March 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service.
During the inspection
We spoke with two people’s relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including support staff, a team leader. the manager and the locality manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included excerpts from two people's care records and medication records. We looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including accidents and incidents and quality audits and checks. We looked at three staff files, including training records.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We also received feedback from three health care professionals who supported people who used the service.
Updated
14 April 2021
About the service
CareTech Community Services Hanley DCA provides personal care to people in their own homes through a supported living service where people live in their own home as independently as possible. For this inspection we focussed on the service in Wellington, Telford.
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. There were five people living at this location and four people received a regulated activity.
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 guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
People's experience of using this service and what we found
People were supported by staff that understood how to protect them from the risk of abuse. Risks were assessed and plans were put in place to support people to manage risks as safely as possible and in the least restrictive way.
Staff had the skills and training opportunities to keep people safe while offering support. Staff received training in managing medicines safely and supporting people with behaviours that challenged. Staff were able to work flexibly to meet people’s needs.
Staff understood how to protect people from the risk of cross infection and effective infection control measures were in place to reduce risks.
People were supported to maintain their health and wellbeing and staff and managers worked with health and social care professionals to ensure a consistent approach.
Where incidents occurred, there was a learning process in place to reduce the risk of these happening again.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent despite the current challenges of supporting people during the pandemic.
The manager had systems in place to monitor the service and develop action plans. There was a general recognition that the service had improved since the appointment of the new manager.
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 6 April 2020).
Why we inspected
We received concerns in relation to the overall management of the provider’s local services and the potential for people to be at risk of harm. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.