This announced inspection of Nottingham DCA was carried out on 17 and 18 October.

Nottingham DCA provides support and an outreach service to people in their own homes along with a supported living service based at three homes in Mansfield and the surrounding areas of north Nottinghamshire. The service provides support to people with autism, learning disability, physical disability, mental health needs, substance addiction and people transitioning between services.

The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our visit. 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 told us they felt safe receiving care in their homes from staff of Nottingham DCA and did not have any concerns about the care they received. Staff knew how to protect people from harm and referrals were made to the appropriate authority when concerns were raised.

Risks to people’s safety were identified and managed and assessments carried out to minimise the risk of harm. For example in relation to falls or environmental risks.

People received care and support in a timely way and there were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified and experienced staff employed. Appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out before staff began work at Nottingham DCA.

People who required support to take their prescribed medicines received assistance from staff to do so safely.

People were supported by staff who received training and support to ensure they could meet people’s needs. Ongoing training and assessment for care staff was scheduled to help maintain their knowledge.

People provided consent to any care and treatment provided. Where people did not have capacity to give informed consent their best interests and rights were protected under the Mental Capacity Act (2005). People’s wishes regarding their care and treatment were respected by staff.

People were supported by staff to maintain healthy nutrition and hydration. People had access to healthcare professionals when required and staff followed their guidance to ensure people maintained good health.

People were treated with dignity and respect and their privacy was protected. People told us they had positive, caring relationships with staff. Where possible people were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

Staff understood people’s support needs and ensured they received personalised responsive care. People knew how to raise a complaint and were confident these would be listened to and acted on.

There was an open and transparent management culture at the service. People, their relatives and staff were encouraged to have their say on their experience of care and their comments were acted on. Quality monitoring systems were in place to identify areas for improvement and ensure these were acted on.