About the service: Forget Me Not Caring Limited is a community based adult social care service that offers a variety of different services for adults with learning disabilities, mental health and or autism from domiciliary care support, personal assistants and supported living schemes. Supported living is where people live independently in specifically designed or independent accommodation but need some help or support to do so. There were 11 supported living schemes providing support to approximately 27 people and one person who was receiving domiciliary care support at the time of our inspection. The accommodation was provided by another organisation and is not registered for accommodation with the CQC, the premises and related aspects were not inspected.

People’s experience of using this service:

¿ The service applied the values and principles of CQC guidance ‘Registering the Right Support’ (RRS). People were enabled to make choices about their lives and were supported to be as independent as possible. RRS guidance works to ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes including control, choice and independence.

¿ Relatives spoke positively about the service and said they felt their loved ones were safe and well supported.

¿ The service had safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures and how to keep people safe.

¿ People's needs and preferences were assessed and where risks were identified, plans were in place to manage risks safely in the least restrictive way possible.

¿ There were safe arrangements in place to manage medicines and staff followed appropriate infection control practices to prevent the spread of infections.

¿ Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work.

¿ There was sufficient staff available to meet people's needs promptly and to ensure they could go out with support when they wanted.

¿ Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to support people appropriately. Staff were appropriately supported through induction, training and regular supervision.

¿ People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet.

¿ 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 support this practice.

¿ Relatives told us they were fully involved in and consulted about their loved one’s care and support needs.

¿ People had access to health and social care professionals as required.

¿ People were supported to access community services and to participate in activities of their choosing that met their needs.

¿ Staff worked with people to promote their rights and understood the Equality Act 2010 supporting people appropriately addressing any protected characteristics.

¿ There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service.

¿ The service worked in partnership with health and social care professionals and other organisations to plan and deliver an effective service.

¿ The service took people, their relatives and staff’s views into account through surveys and informal feedback to help drive service improvements.

Rating at last inspection: Good (Report was published on 13 July 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. We found the service continued to meet the characteristics of Good in all areas.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit in line with our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect the service sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the website at www.cqc.org.uk

The inspection took place on 21 June 2016. Forget me not provides a domiciliary care service which offers personal care, companionship and domestic help to support people living in their own home. Their main client group currently is for people living with learning disabilities and complex needs. They are currently supporting three people who use the service.

The service has 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 were safeguarded from the potential of harm and their freedoms protected. People were cared for safely by staff who had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks had been completed. Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare.

Staff had received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care. The service worked well with other professionals to ensure that people's health needs were met. Where appropriate, support and guidance were sought from health care professionals, including GPs. People were supported with their nutrition and hydration needs. Staff supported people with their medication as required.

Staff knew the people they were supporting and provided a personalised service. Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their care. Staff were attentive to people's needs and treated people with dignity and respect.

People were supported with activities which interested them. People and their representatives knew how to make a complaint; complaints had been resolved efficiently and quickly.

The manager had a number of ways of gathering people’s views including talking with people, staff, and relatives. They carried out a number of quality monitoring audits to help ensure the service was running effectively and to make improvements.