The inspection was announced and took place on 24, 25 and 29 August 2017. This was C&O SLS Limited first comprehensive inspection since they were registered by CQC.

The service support people to live independently in their own homes. The service currently provides personal care and support to five people. A supported living service enables people to live independently in their own home and receive care and support without total reliance on parents or guardians. People have tenancy agreements with a landlord and receive their care and support from a domiciliary care agency.

There was 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.

People received a service that was highly responsive to their individual needs. Staff were committed and passionate about enabling people to live independently. The team worked creatively to support individuals to transition into an independent living environment whereby people were living in their own home.

Staff had an excellent understanding of people's needs and were able to encourage people to engage in activities to improve their health and wellbeing, meet their aspirations, preferences and goals. Staff were proud of the support that they provided to people and the positive relationships they had developed. People had been supported to make their accommodation a home that they were comfortable living in.

Detailed support plans were in place which reflected the person-centred care which people received. Support plans were detailed and written in easy read formats with pictures to support people’s understanding.

Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse. All staff were clear about how to report concerns and were confident that any allegations made would be fully investigated to help ensure people were protected.

Risk assessments clearly identified any risk and gave staff guidance on how to minimise the risk. They were designed to keep people and staff safe while enabling people to develop and maintain their independence.

There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of the people who used the service. People received care and support from regular staff that knew them well.

People received their medicines safely. There were policies and procedures in place. Staff administering medicines had been trained to do so.

New staff completed an induction to ensure they were aware of their roles and duties. They were provided with regular supervisions.

People received care from staff who had the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. Staff spoke about the people they supported positively and were committed to supporting people to be as independent as possible.

People were involved in the day to day running of the service. People were valued and supported to be as independent as possible. People's rights were upheld, consent was always sought before any support was given. Staff were aware of the legislation that ensured people were protected in respect of decision making and any restrictions and how this impacted on their day to day roles.

There was a positive culture in the service, the management team provided strong leadership and led by example. Management were visible and known to staff and all the people using the service.