13 September 2018
During a routine inspection
At our last inspection in 2016 we rated the service as Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. We found the service had further developed the responsiveness of the service and rated this domain as Outstanding. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.
Medicines were managed safely and people received them as prescribed. Staff were familiar with the people they were supporting and the risks associated with their care. There were enough staff to ensure a reliable and timely service.
People received care from staff with a good level of training. Staff were knowledgeable about the people and topics we asked them about. Comprehensive staff training was in place which was continually being developed to meet people’s changing needs and changes in legislation.
The service was compliant with the legal requirements of the MCA and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.
People said staff were kind and caring and treated them well. People were always introduced to care workers prior to care delivery and received care from a small team. People were informed of who would be visiting them the week before. People were listened to and the service helped develop people’s independence.
People said the service provided excellent care which met their individual needs. People achieved excellent care and support outcomes using the service. Care was very person centred and there were plenty of social opportunities and activities promoted by the service. Strong links were in place with the local community.
People praised the management team and said they were supporting and approachable. We saw they were dedicated with providing people with high quality and person centred care. The service was committed to continuous improvement and was putting in place a number of innovative and exciting plans to further develop the service. We made a recommendation advising the provider to measure the effect these plans had on the care and support outcomes of people who used the service. This would provide direct evidence of whether these had truly benefited people who used the service.