This inspection took place on 30 November, 4 and 5 December 2917. It was an announced visit to the service.

We previously inspected the service in December 2015. The service was meeting the requirements of the regulations at that time. The service was rated ‘good’ overall.

Aylesbury Supported Living Scheme provides support for 27 adults with learning and physical disabilities across four sites in the Aylesbury and surrounding area. At one of these sites, night time support is provided by another service which is separate to The Fremantle Trust. This is a contractual arrangement with Buckinghamshire County Council.

People are supported in individual flats and shared houses which are owned by a housing association. 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 registered manager in post. 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.

We received positive feedback about the service. Comments from people included “My (family member) is treated with kindness by the staff,” “The whole place is amazing. I wouldn’t want him anywhere else,” “Staff are very approachable” and “The staff are very compassionate.” A community professional told us “Staff have a very good knowledge of people’s histories and backgrounds.”

People were supported by staff who had been thoroughly recruited. There were enough staff around to help people access the community and be as independent as possible. Risks were assessed and measures were put in place to help prevent accidental injury or harm.

People received support with their medicines where necessary. We have made a recommendation for the service to follow best practice when staff handwrite medicines charts. This is to ensure the strength of the medicine and maximum amount per day is recorded.

People were protected from the risk of infection. Various health and safety checks were carried out in people’s homes to make sure they were clean and safe.

People’s accommodation was fitted with fire detecting equipment. Tests were carried out to make sure this worked effectively and kept people safe. We found fire drills were carried out but not all of the staff had been involved in drills. They may therefore not know how to respond safely in the event of a fire. We have made a recommendation for the service to follow best practice by ensuring all staff have received sufficient training and rehearsal in what to do in the event of a fire.

People received care which was person-centred and responsive to their needs. Care plans had been written to document people’s needs and their preferences for how they wished to be supported.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The service was managed well. The registered manager kept us informed of notifiable occurrences; they worked in partnership with external agencies and ensured staff received appropriate support and training.

This inspection took place on 21 and 23 December 2015. It was an announced visit to the service.

We previously inspected the service on 31 October 2013. The service was meeting the requirements of the regulations at that time.

Aylesbury Supported Living Scheme provides support for up to 30 people with learning disabilities in their own homes. Twenty nine people were using the service at the time of our inspection.

The service had a registered manager in post. 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.

We received positive feedback from people using the service. Comments included “I feel safe here,” “It’s good having my own flat,” and “Staff are brilliant.” Two relatives we spoke with were complimentary of the service and the support provided to their family member.

People were kept safe at the service. There were safeguarding procedures and training on abuse to provide staff with the skills and knowledge to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns. There were enough staff to support people and to help them access the community. The service used robust recruitment procedures to make sure people were supported by staff with the right skills and attributes.

Staff received the support they needed to help them develop in their roles and support people appropriately. This included regular supervision, staff meetings and an on-going training programme.

The provider monitored the service to make sure it met people’s needs safely and effectively.

People’s needs and their preferences for how they wished to be supported were recorded in their care plans. Risk assessments had been reviewed regularly to make sure they still reflected people’s circumstances.

People were supported to keep well and attend healthcare appointments. Medicines were managed well.