About the service:

Optimum Supported Housing is a supported living service and a domiciliary care service. At the time if the inspection two people were receiving a supported living service who all lived together in one house. The house was a three-bedroom house based in a residential area near Rainham town centre. One person was receiving domiciliary care support. Domiciliary care services provide personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. Optimum Supported Housing provides a service to, younger adults with learning disabilities.

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

People’s experience of using this service:

The people we spoke to who used the service told us that they were happy with the care provided and feedback from health and social care professionals was positive about the service provided.

However, documentation was poor in some areas in that complaints were not always recorded, risk assessments were not always consistent and there was a lack of documented information for staff on how to support people meaning that the service relied upon staff knowing people well. The provider had not ensured that they had collected references for new staff in line with their own policy when recruiting new staff and checks on the quality of the service had not identified this as a concern. Risks from the environment had not always been identified and mitigated.

Medicines were stored appropriately, and people received their medicines on time and as prescribed. There was enough staff to support people safely. Staff were appropriately managed and supported however staff had not completed some areas of training needed such as supporting people with behaviour that challenged.

Staff were able to explain how to protect people from abuse and knew how to report concerns. People were supported to keep their home clean and were protected from the risk of infection. People’s needs were assessed before they started with the service and this information was used to develop their support plan.

People were offered choices and staff understood how people needed to be supported to make decisions. People were encouraged to express their views and be involved in decisions. The staff we spoke to knew people well, people were treated with respect and provided with emotional support where this was needed. People had been supported to achieve their goals and there was evidence of positive outcomes for people. For example, people had increased their independence.

People were supported to eat and drink safely and were involved in shopping and the preparation of their own meals where appropriate. People were encouraged to maintain their health and exercise. When people were unwell their health was monitored, and they had access healthcare services when this was needed.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support in the following ways: people's support focused on increasing their independence and enabling them to make choices and participate in activities of daily living. The staff we spoke to were positive about the support they received and the management of the service. The people we spoke to were positive about the support we received.

Rating at last inspection:

This is the first inspection of this service.

Why we inspected:

This inspection was a s