Affinity Trust provides supported living and outreach services to adults with learning disabilities in Bradford, Keighley and Ilkley. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 95 people in total which included 47 people living in supported living properties. Within supported living services 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.

At our last inspection we rated the service 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. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People felt safe and support workers understood how to protect people from abuse. Risks related to people's care and support needs were continuously assessed and monitored and their support was reviewed to maintain their safety.

People’s medicines were managed safely. People received appropriate support to meet their health care needs. People were supported with their dietary needs. The service worked with other professionals to ensure people's care and health needs were met.

The service continued to follow safe recruitment procedures. Support workers were trained for their roles and there were sufficient numbers of staff available, who worked flexibly to support people.

People continued to be involved in making decisions about their care and support. They were supported to be independent and take positive risks. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and were supported in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Support plans were personalised and reflected people’s preferences, choice of lifestyle and cultural needs.

People followed their interests and hobbies and maintained relationships with family and friends.

The service had a registered manager. There was an open and transparent approach by the registered manager and the management team. People using the service and staff confirmed the management team were supportive.

Quality assurance processes were in place and operated effectively to monitor the quality and safety of the services provided.

Concerns were acted upon promptly and any lessons learned were shared with the staff team to improve the quality of care provided.

People using the service, their relatives, health and social care professionals and staff had opportunities to give feedback and influence the development of the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

The inspection was carried out on 26 & 27 July and 01 August 2016. The inspection was announced.

The last inspection was in December 2013 and at that time the provider was meeting all the regulations inspected.

Affinity Trust provides supported living and outreach services to adults with learning disabilities in Bradford, Keighley and Ilkley. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 89 people, 83 of whom were receiving support with personal care. The supported living service was supporting 41 people in multi occupancy tenancies, typically occupied by three or four people, and the outreach service was supporting 42 people living in their own homes.

There was 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.

People who were supported by the service were protected from abuse and the risk of abuse. Staff were trained and knew how to recognise and report any concerns about people’s safety and welfare. We observed people were at ease and comfortable with staff. We observed staff were kind and compassionate in their interactions with people.

People told us they were supported by the same staff most of the time. There were generally enough staff to provide people with the support they needed. The provider was in the process of recruiting more staff to provide cover for absence due to holidays, training or sickness and if possible eliminate the use agency staff.

All the required checks were done before new staff stared work and this helped to protect people from the risk of being supported by staff unsuitable to work with vulnerable adults. Newly appointed staff had a structured induction training programme to help them fulfil their roles and responsibilities. Following induction, staff received training on a variety of subjects to make sure they worked safely and had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s individual support needs.

Risks to people’s safety and well-being were identified and action was taken to remove, reduce or manage risks without compromising people’s independence. People were supported to take their medicines safely.

People were asked for their consent and their views were respected. The service was working in accordance with the requirements and principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and this helped to make sure people’s rights were promoted and protected.

Staff treated people with respect, kindness and compassion. They knew people well and we found people were supported to be as independent as possible and make decisions about all aspects of their day to day lives.

We found the care and support provided to people was based on their individual needs and took account of their preferences. Where indicated people were supported to choose and cook their own meals and were encouraged to choose healthy options.

People had access to the full range of NHS services in order to meet their health care needs. When people had more complex health needs the service worked closely with community and hospital based health care professionals to make sure they received the right care and support

People were supported to access local amenities and take part in a wide range of leisure, education and work related activities which reflected their preferences and strengths.

People knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint, they were listened to and their concerns were acted on.

Staff told us they enjoyed working for Affinity Trust and said the registered manager and divisional director worked consistently to promote a ‘person centred’ approach.

Roles and responsibilities were clearly defined and the provider had a schedule of checks and audits which had to be carried out a

We visited the administrative office of the organisation where we reviewed documentation and spoke with the manager and support workers. Later we spoke with staff and people who used the service and their relatives over the telephone.

People we spoke with told us they were satisfied with the service and they felt that their dignity was respected. One person we spoke with said “They are excellent, I would not complain about Affinity Trust” another said “They are all very kind and caring and do their jobs well”. Staff we spoke with said people were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity was respected at all times.

Support workers told us the staffing levels were appropriate and staff were supported through their training. The staff we spoke with were complimentary regarding the training they had been provided with. One member of staff told us “You get good training here” another said “I love my job, I get trained well here”.

The staff members we spoke with explained what actions they would take if people wanted to make a complaint about the service. They said the manager would take complaints seriously and people would never be discriminated against for raising a complaint.

People who had used the service and their relatives spoke very positively about the quality of care provided. We directly observed support being provided and saw that people’s privacy, dignity and independence were respected. People told us about the ways in which the provider supported them to make choices and that they knew who to contact if they wanted to change any aspect of their care. We found people's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with a comprehensive plan of care and support.

People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

The provider had effective systems in place to regularly monitor the quality of care and to ensure that the health and welfare of people was protected.