Promoting Independent Living Services (PILS) provides care and support to people with learning disabilities living in their own home. Some people who used the service required support 24 hours a day while other people received support at pre-arranged times. At the time of our visit the agency supported 46 people. Eight people required full support with personal care, others’ required prompting to remind them to complete personal care routines. The provider referred to where people lived as supported 'tenancies'.

The information in this report relates to the service provided from 7 Dover Street, Coventry and not the location, 1a Lamb Street, Coventry as stated on the front of this report. The provider had recently moved to the new premises and the registration process to add the new location had not been completed at the time of this inspection. The change of address had not affected the service provided by PILS.

At the last inspection in July 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The office visit took place 5 September 2017 and was announced. We told the provider before the visit we were coming so they could arrange to be there and arrange for staff to be available to talk with us about the service.

A requirement of the provider’s registration is that they have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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. Since the last inspection the registered manager had left the service, another manager had been appointed in May 2017, and had applied to register with us.

People continued to receive care which protected them from avoidable harm and abuse. Staff understood people’s needs and knew how to protect them from the risk of abuse. Risks to people’s safety were identified and assessments were in place to manage identified risks. Where people required support to take prescribed medicines, staff had received training to assist people safely.

There were enough experienced staff to meet the needs of people who used the service. People were supported by staff who had the skills and training to meet their needs. The manager and staff understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. People were involved in making every day decisions and choices about how they wanted to live their lives.

People were visited by a team of regular staff that they knew and who they said were kind and caring. Recruitment checks were completed on new staff to ensure they were suitable to support people who used the service.

The service remained responsive to people’s needs and wishes. People were provided with care and support which was individual to them. Managers and staff had a positive approach to risk taking and people were able to live their lives in the way they chose. Staff respected people's privacy and dignity and promoted their independence. Relatives and people said the support they received helped people who used the service live independently in their own homes.

Support plans were detailed and personalised. Plans provided guidance for staff to follow so they were able to support each person in the way they preferred. Where required, people were supported to have sufficient to eat and drink and their health needs were regularly monitored. People’s care and support needs were kept under review and staff responded when there were changes in these needs.

The service continued to be well led. Staff said they received good support from all the management team and that senior staff were always available to give advice. Management and staff told us there was good team work and that all staff worked well together. There continued to be

Promoting Independent Living Services (PILS) provides care and support to people with learning disabilities living in their own home. Some people who used the service required support 24 hours a day while other people received support at pre- arranged times. At the time of our visit the agency supported 47 people with personal care or support.

We visited the offices of PILS on 30 July 2015. We told the provider 48 hours before the visit we were coming so they could arrange for staff to be available to talk with us about the service.

The service has a registered manager. 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 with their support workers and knew what they would do if they felt unsafe. Support workers were trained in safeguarding adults and understood how to protect people from abuse. There were processes to minimise risks to people’s safety; these included procedures to manage identified risks with people’s support and for managing people’s medicines safely. There were enough experienced staff to provide the support people required. Checks were carried out prior to support workers starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service.

People told us support workers were kind and respectful and had the right skills to provide the care and support they required. The registered manager and support staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA), and supported people in line with these principles. People had consistent support workers who they were able to build trust and relationships with.

Support plans and risk assessments contained relevant information to help support workers provide the personalised care people required. People were involved in their care and were asked for their views and opinions about the service they received. People and support workers said they could raise any concerns with the registered manager, or support co-ordinators knowing they would be listened to and acted on.

The registered manager and staff working for PILS were dedicated to providing quality care to people. Support workers and people who used the service found the management team open, approachable, and responsive. There were processes to monitor the quality of the service provided and understand the experiences of people who used the service. This was through regular communication with people and support staff, checks on support workers to make sure they worked in line with policies and procedures and a programme of other checks and audits.

Promoting Independent Living Services (PILS) provided 24 hour support packages to people with learning disabilities living in their own home. At the time of this inspection the service supported 50 people and employed approximately 102 support workers.

We spoke with the manager, two senior support workers and four support workers during our visit. We visited a supported tenancy and spoke with two people who used the service. We spoke with six relatives to find out their views about PILS.

People who used the service said they were involved in their care and received the care and support they had agreed to. Not all the people who used the service were able to make decisions about their care and support. People who were unable to make their own decisions had a family member or an advocate that acted on their behalf.

The care plans we looked at provided staff with detailed information about the support people required. Risks associated with people’s care had been assessed and were appropriately managed to make sure people remained safe and well. Procedures in place made sure people were supported to live their lives as they chose.

Information about the service was provided to people in picture format that made it easier for them to understand. People who used the service knew who to contact if they had any concerns. Staff had a good understanding of how to protect people from possible abuse. Procedures in place ensured people using the service were not placed at risk.

People we spoke with said they had regular care workers who were friendly and polite. We were satisfied care workers had been recruited safely and had the necessary skills and experience to work with people who used 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 they received. People said,

"I am very happy with the care and support X receives.”

“I can’t believe the change since she moved. Her independence and confidence has certainly increased. She does things herself now that she has never done, like cooking a proper meal."

We visited the offices of the service without advance notice. We spoke with the registered manager and three other staff. We looked at records, documents and feedback from people who use the service. After our visit we spoke by phone with someone who used the service and with a relative of someone who used the service.

Our previous inspection had shown the service to be compliant. We saw a positive report from the local contract monitoring officer. Staff we spoke with showed a positive, enthusiastic and knowledgeable approach to the people they were supporting. They showed a good knowledge of their needs and how they were met.

We saw very positive written responses from relatives and people using the service. The person we spoke with by phone told us they had been out shopping, liked their flat and were pleased with their new kettle and toaster.

Recorded comments from relatives showed they were very pleased with the support offered to people. A typical comment was “Very good, get all the support they need.”

The agency makes sure that people who use the service understand their rights and are consulted and involved in all aspects of their care support. People we talked to said that carers supported them to make decisions and to live their lives as they choose.

People said they were treated with dignity and respect and during our visits to people we observed staff knocking on doors before entering flats and supporting people with personal care in a respectful way. Staff spoke to people in a polite and friendly way and understood their communication skills. People we spoke to said they have regular carers and are allocated a key worker who they get to know well. People we visited spoke highly of the staff that support them, we were told ‘X is my key worker she has helped me do things for myself, she listens to me we get on well and have a good laugh’. People told us they were happy with the support they get from the agency. One person said ‘I get on well with my carer we are friends’.

The agency is pro-active in making sure people who use the service have a voice and are listened to. Documents are provided in picture format to help people who find it difficult to read understand their support plans and key policies. The agency have robust procedures in place to make sure people remain safe and well. They organised dignity and safeguarding workshops for clients in September 2010 to raise peoples’ awareness of abuse, and staff told us safeguarding is discussed routinely at team meetings and in individual supervision sessions. Clients and staff said they would have no hesitation reporting poor practice to the manager or co-ordinators. Staff told us they have regular training and supervision and said they were well trained and properly supported to do their job well. Staff we spoke to said it was a good agency to work for, a staff member told us “we have spot checks to make sure we are working in the way we should” and another said “they always put the needs of the service user first”.