The inspection took place on 11 and 12 October 2017 and was announced. Our last scheduled inspection at this service took place in 25 August 2015 when we rated the service as Good overall, with an Outstanding rating in Caring.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for ‘Mencap Community Support’ on our website at www.cqc.org.uk’

The Doncaster branch of the Royal Mencap Society is situated in the Kirk Sandall area of Doncaster. It provides personal care to people living in the community. Personal care is provided to people accommodated in supported living environments and to people living in their own homes in the Doncaster area. Support packages are flexible and based on individual need.

The service had 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.

At this inspection we found the service had sustained the quality of service delivery and remained Good, with an Outstanding rating in Caring.

People who used the service experienced some very positive outcomes as a result of the caring and creative approach of staff and gave us positive feedback about their care and support. It was clear that the people who used the service had developed good and strong relationships with staff. People told us that staff had a caring approach, and praised the way staff upheld their dignity and treated them with respect.

The service actively involved people in planning their support, which enabled them to make choices about the support they needed to help them be as independent as possible. People were involved in updating their support plans regularly and they were written in a format that was suitable for people to understand.

The service worked in partnership with other organisations, such as healthcare services, to make sure people received the care and support they needed. The service managed risks to people well and people were supported to take their medicines safely.

Equality, diversity and human rights were at the forefront of how support was provided. The registered manager and members of the team were committed to a strong person centred culture. The key principles on which the service was built, was a vision of a world where people with a learning disability are valued equally, listened to and included. These values were reflected in the day-to-day practice of staff.

Staff were recruited safely and trained to a particularly good standard. They received service specific training which enabled them to meet people’s needs and promote their independence. Staff were able to undertake nationally recognised training to help them progress in their work and were encouraged to progress into more senior roles within the organisation.

Staff knew how to recognise and respond to abuse. Staff told us they could raise any concerns with the registered manager and felt that they were listened to. They attended regular team meetings and staff events. Formal supervision and quality monitoring of their work performance meant staff worked to the values and expectations of the service.

Staff demonstrated a good awareness of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and put people who used the service at the centre of everything they wanted to achieve. Staff made sure people gave informed consent to their care and support, or that appropriate procedures were followed where people might lack the mental capacity to give consent.

People were actively encouraged to give their views and raise concerns or complaints. There was a clear, unambiguous complaints policy and procedure that was accessible to everyone. The feedback and complaint

The inspection took place on 25 August 2015 and was announced. Our last scheduled inspection at this service took place in January 2014 when no breaches of legal requirements were identified.

Mencap Community Support Doncaster provides personal care to people living in their own homes. Support packages are flexible and based on individual needs.

The service had 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.

The service had policies and procedures in place to protect people. Staff we spoke with confirmed they had seen the policies and spoke about them in staff meetings. We saw records which showed staff had received training in safeguarding people from abuse.

Care and support was planned and delivered in a way that ensured people were safe. The support plans we looked at included risk assessments which identified any risk associated with a person’s

care. We saw risk assessments had been devised to help minimise and monitor the risk.

The provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines. We looked at prescribed medication and medication records for five of the people that were supported by the service and found them to be correct.

People were supported to have their assessed needs, preferences and choices met by staff who had the necessary skills and knowledge.

We found the service to be meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The staff we spoke with had a good knowledge of this and said they would speak to the registered manager if they needed any further advice.

People were supported to eat and drink sufficient to maintain a balanced diet. We spoke with people who used the service and looked at their support plans and found people were involved in menu planning, shopping and preparation.

People were supported to maintain good health, have access to healthcare services and received ongoing healthcare support. We looked at people’s records and found they had received support from healthcare professionals when required.

On the day of our inspection we saw staff interacting with people. We saw staff supported people who used the service from a very professional and caring perspective. It was clear that the people who used the service had developed good and strong relationships with staff.

Interviews with members of the care staff supported the evidence that they clearly understood the needs of people they were supporting, and they were able to understand how individuals wanted to be supported. All of the staff that were interviewed by us had a very good understanding of the individual needs of the people who used the service and also of how they chose to have their care delivered.

People’s needs were assessed and care and support was planned and delivered in line with their individual support plan. Support plans clearly identified the area of support along with aims and objectives the person wanted to achieve.

The service had a feedback and complaints management system in place and this was seen as an integral part of continuous improvement. People knew how to raise concerns and we saw evidence that concerns had been dealt with effectively.

Staff we spoke with felt the service was well led and the registered manager was approachable and listened to them. Staff confirmed they knew their role within the organisation and the role of others. They knew what was expected of them and took accountability at their level.

As part of this inspection we spoke with people who used the service. We spoke with people on the telephone, at the office and in their own homes. We also spoke with staff.

Before people received care and treatment they were asked for their consent and the

provider acted in accordance with their wishes. The appropriate procedure was followed where people were not able to give consent.

People who used the service had a support plan which was person centred and relevant to their individual needs. One person who used the service said, "I am involved in my life and staff respect my choices.”

People were supported to be able to eat and drink sufficient amounts to meet their needs. People we spoke with said they select the foods they wish to eat. One person said, "We try healthy food but we have a take away on occasions.” Another person said, “We have a menu but if we want something different it’s fine.”

The staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about infect ion control. People who used the service supported to keep their accommodation clean.

We found that the provider had an effective recruitment procedure in place. Appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work.

There was an effective complaints procedure in place and people knew how to complain if needed. People we spoke with said they never had to complain, but they felt staff would listen to them and act on any concern they had.

We spoke with four people who used the service and they told us that staff were very kind. One person said that “The staff are lovely.” Another person said “I would be lost without them”. Another comment was “Staff always tell us when they go on holiday and informs us who will be visiting instead”. One person who used the service told us that they had been involved in interviewing staff.

We spoke with two relatives who were very happy with the service and felt involved in the care provided to their family member. One relative said “I can’t speak too highly of the staff they are very respectful”. Another relative said “The staff are like friends to me”.