Dynavour Care Services Limited, hereafter referred to as ‘Dynavour’, is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide personal care for people in their own homes in the Gloucestershire area. People receiving support may live with a learning disability, mental health condition and /or a physical disability. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support for approximately 140 people, however only three people were receiving personal care, which is regulated by the CQC. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

At the time of the inspection, the three people receiving personal care had been diagnosed with a mental health condition. Dynavour provides care and support to people living in two ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. People’s care and housing were provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

Two people using the service lived in a single ‘house in multi-occupation’ shared by four people receiving a service from Dynavour and one person lived in an ordinary flat in Gloucester. Houses in multiple occupation are properties where at least three people in more than one household share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities.

This inspection took place on 18 September 2018. At the last comprehensive inspection in January 2016 the service was rated as Good overall. 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.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People’s care and support was personalised. Their individual wishes and choice of lifestyle had been considered when developing their care plans with them. They were involved in the review of their care with health care professionals and people important to them. People made choices about their day to day lives. 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. People’s rights were upheld and there were systems in place to help them to stay safe. People were involved in identifying any risks to them and any known hazards were reduced. People were encouraged to be as independent as they could be. Staff helped them to engage socially with others and to take part in activities of their choice.

People were supported to stay healthy and well. They planned their weekly menu and were encouraged to have a nutritional diet. People had access to a range of health care professionals. They had annual health checks. People’s medicines were safely managed. People had access to easy to read information which used pictures and photographs to explain the text. Staff understood people’s communication skills and how to promote effective communication. People said they were given information about their care and support.

People had positive relationships with staff, who understood them well, anticipating what would make them anxious or uncertain. Staff worked closely with health care professionals to make sure people’s care was consistent and followed current best practice. There were enough staff to meet their needs. This was kept under review as people’s needs changed. Staff had access to training and support to keep their knowledge and skills up to date.

People’s views were sought to monitor the quality of the service provided. They had information a

We last inspected this service at its previous registered location [main office] in October 2014 and found the provider was meeting all of the requirements of the regulations at that time. This inspection was announced and took place over three days on 14, 15 and 19 January 2016.

Dynavour Care Services Limited, hereafter referred to as ‘Dynavour’, is registered with CQC to provide personal care for people in their own homes in the Gloucestershire area. People receiving support may live with a learning disability, mental health problems and / or a physical disability. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support for approximately 70 people, however only 10 of these were receiving personal care, which is regulated by CQC. The service is required to have a registered manager in post. The registered manager had been registered as manager at the service since 2010. 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 benefitted from a reliable and flexible service which put their needs and wishes first. People were valued as individuals and were supported to become as independent as they could be and to maintain or rebuild relationships with people who were important to them. They benefitted from positive relationships with the staff who supported them and were routinely signposted to community services that often improved their health and mental well-being. People’s safety and well-being was maintained and enhanced through effective links with other community health providers, community services and support with benefit applications. People were respected as individuals and their right to make decisions about their lives, including potentially unwise decisions, were upheld. When people lacked capacity to make decisions the Mental Capacity Act was adhered to.

Staff enjoyed working at Dynavour and spoke highly of their colleagues. They worked well as a team and respected each other’s contribution, knowledge and experience. Staff felt well-supported and valued. They were able to speak openly and discuss issues or difficulties they, or the people they supported, were experiencing, so that solutions could be found. They cared for the people they supported and considered their needs holistically, being aware of and responding to changes in people’s day to day well-being, to ensure they were safe. Staff acknowledged people’s contribution and hard work in helping themselves to become more independent and stay well.

The service worked openly and in close collaboration with health service providers, local community services and local authorities. Strong leadership was provided by the registered manager who was highly experienced, well-respected in their field and took an outward facing approach; working in line with national policy, guidance and research recommendations. Managers worked closely with staff and were always available to provide support and advice; they knew of significant events happening within the service each day. They were aware of needs within their local community and worked inclusively with people, staff and other organisations to develop the service in line with people’s wishes and local needs.