The inspection took place on 8 June 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice that we would be conducting the inspection. This was because we were visiting their office and it ensured that there would be people there who we could speak to. People who used the service and staff visited the office whilst we were there which allowed us to gain their views of the service.

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.

The service provides support for 22 people living in their own homes who have physical or learning disabilities . Some of the people supported by the service chose to live together whereas others chose to live on their own.

People were always at the heart of the service and support was provided in line with research based best practice. The provider’s philosophy, vision and values were understood and shared across the staff team. People’s right to lead a fulfilling life was promoted and encouraged by all staff, at all times.

Staff received training in the provider’s values and philosophy, which included listening skills. The provider and management team exemplified the philosophy in their interactions with people, which set the standard for staff to follow.

People and relatives were delighted with the kindness and thoughtfulness of staff, which exceeded their expectations of how they would be cared for and supported. People felt valued by care staff, which empowered them to speak freely and confidently about how they wanted to live their lives and the support they would like from staff. Care staff respected people’s individuality and encouraged them to live the lives they wanted.

People were encouraged and supported to live with meaning and purpose every day. Care staff valued people’s experience and opinions and encouraged them to take pride in their lifetime’s achievements.

People were involved in planning their care with the support of people important to them. This ensured the support they received matched their individual needs, abilities and preferences, from their personal perspective. Care staff showed insight and understanding in caring for people, because they understood people’s individual motivations and responses. Staff were attentive to how people were feeling and were proactive in implementing individual strategies to promote enjoyment and happiness. Staff ensured people obtained advice and support from healthcare professionals to minimise the risks of poor health.

Staff took time to understand people’s life stories and supported and encouraged people to celebrate important personal and national events. People were supported maintain their personal interests and hobbies.

People who used the service, their relatives and healthcare professionals were encouraged to share their opinions and the provider used their views to continually improve the service.

The provider was innovative and creative and constantly strived to improve the quality of people’s lives, by working in partnership with experts in supporting people with disabilities. Planned improvements were focused on improving people’s quality of life.

All staff and people who used the service were involved in monitoring the quality of the service, which included regular checks of people’s care plans, medicine administration and staff practices. Accidents, incidents, falls and complaints were investigated and action was taken to minimise the risks of a re-occurrence.

There were enough staff, who worked flexibly in order to meet people’s physical and social needs. The registered manager checked staff’s suitability to deliver personal care during the recruitment process. The premises and equip

At the time of this inspection Getta Life provided 24 hour support packages to people with learning disabilities living in their own home. The agency supported 24 people and employed approximately 88 support workers.

We visited the office and spoke with the manager and three support workers. Prior to our office visit we spoke with three other support workers by phone. People who used the service were unable to speak to us directly. We were able to speak with six relatives by phone to find out their experience of using Getta Life.

Relatives we spoke with said they were fully involved in their relatives care. People who used the service were unable to make formal decisions about their care and support due to their learning disability. Records showed support workers, family members or advocates acted on people’s behalf when required.

During our office visit we watched a short film about two people who were supported by the service. The content of the film demonstrated staff knew and understood the people they supported extremely well. The film clearly showed how staff supported people to live their lives as they had chosen.

The care plans we looked at provided staff with detailed information about the care and support people required. People had person centred plans completed that identified their skills and abilities as well as areas where support was required. Risks associated with people’s care had been assessed and were appropriately managed. These procedures made sure people received appropriate care and remained safe and well.

We looked at how medication was being managed in the service. Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of how to manage medicines safely. We found support workers had received training in administering medication and people received their medication as prescribed.

Staff and relatives told us people were allocated small teams of regular workers. Relatives told us all staff were friendly and polite. We were satisfied support workers had been recruited safely and had the necessary skills and experience to work with people using the service.

Records showed the agency had systems in place to monitor the care provided. Everyone we spoke with told us they were happy with the care their relative received. People said,

“The service X receives from Getta Life is absolutely wonderful. The things X now does is amazing from sailing a dinghy to visiting local pubs and restaurants. She has a better social life than I do.”

“One word; excellent.”

“It’s an amazing service. Things are going wonderfully for X. It would be good to think everyone in her situation were so well looked after.”

People who used the service had complex needs and were unable to speak directly with us. We spoke with people's relatives to find out their views of the service. Relatives told us they were happy with the care people received. One person said, “They are totally committed to the people they support”. We saw that care plans contained excellent information about the individual support people required. This included understanding people’s non verbal communication methods as well as preferences and choices about how people liked to live their lives.

Relatives told us they had been involved in the planning of people's care. One relative said “I am fully involved in X's care. We have a monthly circle meeting and if there are any changes they always let me know”. Relative's told us there was a small team of care staff that worked with people. One relative told us, “It is extremely important for X to have workers who know her well. Staff can identify the signs and what triggers certain behaviours so are able to diffuse any potential situation before it escalates. This has made a big difference to X's lifestyle. She is able to go places and do things that were restricted before”.

Staff knew how to keep people safe and what to do if they had any concerns. Relatives we spoke with referred to having an ‘open and honest’ relationship with the agency. People told us they had no problems expressing their views and opinions about the service with the managers.