Steppn-Stone Limited

Updated 11 December 2019

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 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

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 registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information that we held about the service such as notifications. These are events that happen in the service that the provider is required to tell us about. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch Northamptonshire, Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service about the care provided and two relatives. We spoke with four members of staff including, the registered manager and three care and support workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included a full review of one person’s care records, one person’s specific condition care plan, multiple medication records and daily care and support records for three people. We looked at records in relation to staff recruitment, training and supervision. A variety of records for the management of the service including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 11 December 2019

About the service

Steppn–Stone Limited is a supported living service providing personal care to people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of the inspection three people were being supported.

People are supported in a house with a shared kitchen, lounge, two bathrooms and a communal garden. People have their own bedrooms; the provider operates from an office in the garden.

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.

There were deliberately no identifying signs at the house such as, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a supported living home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were safe, risk assessments were in place and reviewed regularly to ensure safe care continued. Staff were trained and could recognise signs of abuse and knew when and how to report it.

Staff were recruited safely, recruitment procedures ensured only suitable staff were employed. Medicines were managed safely. Specialist medicine training was in place where required and staff competencies were regularly checked. People were protected and supported to protect themselves from the spread of infection. Personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons were readily available.

People received and were involved in planning personalised care, information was given in a format that met their communication needs. People's choices, lifestyle, religion and culture as well as their personal and health care needs were planned into care delivery. People were achieving positive outcomes.

People were supported to access health care services when needed and the staff and management team worked in partnership with healthcare professionals.

Staff were trained and had the skills needed to do their job. They received regular training updates and support and were well supervised.

People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and they chose, shopped for and were supported to prepare meals. An interest in healthy food was encouraged by growing foods in the garden.

Pre-admission assessments ensured people's needs could be met prior to them joining the service. A complaints procedure was in place and complaints were responded to in line with the company policy. The registered manager and staff had a good understanding of their responsibilities and were open and honest when things went wrong.

The registered manager had a hands-on approach and knew people well, this ensured a good oversight of the service and supported the documented quality monitoring processes in place.

There was a culture of learning and improvement, people and their relatives’ opinions on the service were listened to and the registered manager invested in the professional development of staff.

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.

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 requires improvement (published 3 November 2018).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.