About the service: This service provides care and support to people in a supported living setting, so that they can live as independently as possible. 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.

People’s experience of using this service:

People continued to receive safe care. People received support from consistent staff who turned up on time. Risk assessments covered all areas of risk, and staff knew how to keep people safe from harm. People told us they were safe. Staff had received training in infection control and had access to personal protective equipment. People told us they received their medicines as prescribed. We have made a recommendation about medicine management.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

People continued to receive effective care, from staff who were skilled and competent in meeting people’s individual needs. People told us they were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and that staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. Staff supported people to maintain a healthy diet, in line with their assessed needs and to access health care if this was needed.

People received care from staff who were kind and compassionate. People had positive relationships with their care workers and were confident in the service. People were supported and encouraged by staff to make decisions as to how their needs were met. Staff understood the importance of respecting people’s privacy, dignity and independence.

Staff continued to support people in a responsive way. Assessments and support plans were in place identifying what was important to people and how they should be supported. The support people received was centred around them and they were involved in any decisions made. The provider had a complaint process which people were aware of to share any concerns. The service needed to develop their approach around end of life care. We have made a recommendation about end of life care.

The service continued to be well managed. The registered manager was approachable and people knew them well. Spot checks and audits were completed to ensure the quality of the service was maintained. There was a strong value base to ensure that workers were caring and compassionate. People, and their family members, were actively encouraged to provide feedback on the service and staff worked well as a team in an open and supportive manner. Everyone spoke positively about the service and the quality of the support being provided.

The service met the characteristics of Good in all areas; more information is in the full report,

Rating at last inspection: This service was last rated Good (30 May 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive, and inspect if risk is indicated.

This inspection took place on 28 July 2016 and was announced. The service is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes when they are unable to manage their own care. At the time of the inspection there were 25 people using the service.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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 had support plans that were personalised to their individual needs and wishes. Records contained detailed information to assist support workers to provide care and support in an individualised manner that respected people’s individuality and promoted treating people with dignity.

People were actively involved in decisions about their care and support needs. There were formal systems in place to assess people’s capacity for decision making under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were safe with the staff that supported them in their own home. Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and knew what action they should take if they had any concerns.

Staffing levels ensured that people received the support they required safely and at the times they needed. The recruitment practice protected people from being cared for by staff that were unsuitable to work in their home.

People received care and support from staff that were passionate about promoting people’s independence, friendly and kind. Staff had the skills and knowledge to provide the care and support people needed and were supported by a management team which was receptive to ideas and committed to providing a high standard of care.

Care records contained risk assessments to protect people from identified risks and help to keep them safe. They gave information for staff on the identified risk and informed staff on the measures to take to minimise any risks.

People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed. Records showed that medicines were obtained, stored, administered and disposed of safely. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare services when needed.

Staff had good relationships with the people who they supported. Complaints were appropriately investigated and action was taken to make improvements to the service when this was found to be necessary. The registered manager led a management team which was approachable and supportive. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. Staff and people were confident that issues would be addressed and that any concerns they had would be listened to.

Relatives told us they were very satisfied with the support provided for people who used the service. Comments we received included, “I am delighted with the support provided for [my relative], I don’t think we could find anything better really. They are all very caring.”

The five support staff we spoke with demonstrated a good level of knowledge regarding the needs of the people who used the service. They told us they had the time and support they needed to meet individual people's care needs.

People we spoke with told us that they could speak to support staff at all times, and if they had any problems or concerns they knew the staff would listen to those concerns and help sort them out.

We found that staff had received training and information on the protection of vulnerable adults. Staff told us they had been trained in recognising abuse and knew what they should do if they suspected that any form of abuse was happening.

We found that the staff team received the support and training necessary to enable them to provide care and support safely and to an appropriate standard.

We found that the provider had an effective system in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received and to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people who used the service and others.

People using the service and relatives of people using the service told us they were satisfied with the care and support provided. People told us the staff team were good, kind and helpful. Relatives of people using the service said they would be comfortable to raise any concerns they may have with the staff and management team and were very confident that their concerns would be taken seriously and acted on promptly.

Care and support records we viewed were clear and detailed providing comprehensive information to enable staff to meet people's needs consistently.

We found there was a robust system in place for recruiting new staff members and that the training programme was consistently delivered. This meant that people benefitted from receiving care and support from a safely recruited and knowledgeable staff team.

Relatives of people using the service told us that the service was good and the care workers, managers and administrators very helpful and good communicators. All the relatives spoken with said they found the standard of care very good and they were very happy with the support the service provided.