Archived: Nottinghamshire Office

Updated 17 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 carried out on 24 September was conducted by two inspectors.

The inspection carried out on 16 October was conducted by one inspector and an inspection manager.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to 19 people living in 12 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection on 24 September. 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.

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the second inspection on 16 October. This was due to a technical error which occurred following the previous inspection. We revisited on this date in order to confirm our findings at the previous inspection.

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. 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. We contacted Healthwatch for information they held about the service. 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 of this information to plan our inspection

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the regional director, registered manager, regional services manager, assistant director of specialist support services, regional senior human resources advisor, assistant support manager, community support manager and a community support worker.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and medicines records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, the company statement of purpose and quality assurance records.

Updated 17 December 2019

About the service

We carried out an announced inspection of the service on 24 September and 16 October 2019. Nottinghamshire Office is part of the Perthyn group of services and is registered to provide personal care for adults, some of whom may be living with specific mental health support needs, learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum disorder. People supported by this service either live in their own homes, or in shared accommodation with others. At the time of the inspection there were 19 people using the service.

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.

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

People were extremely positive about the service they received. Every person and relative we spoke with felt that they were involved as a partner in their care. People felt they were enabled to be a valued and independent member of the community.

People received exceptionally personalised care and support, which was tailored to their individual needs. People had formed positive relationships with staff who knew them well. There were sufficient staff, recruited safely to meet people's needs and provide highly individualised care and support.

The provider had a strongly embedded ethos of person-centred care. People were fully engaged in planning their own care and support, which reflected their individual strengths, goals for the future and wishes.

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's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People were supported and educated about the risks of potential abuse by highly skilled and knowledgeable staff who understood safeguarding policies and procedures and how to report their concerns.

The providers valued their stable staff team, who were well trained and offered development opportunities. They were involved in sharing best practise in their areas of expertise on a local and national scale and worked effectively with a wide range of partners in the local area to ensure that people were fully supported.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The previous rating for this service was Good (report published 21 February 2017).

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.