About the service: Sandwell Community Care Trust is located in West Bromwich in the West Midlands. It is a Charity Run Trust and supports people who live in their own home. It is registered to provide personal care to people who are elderly, have a learning disability or may have a physical disability. At the time of the inspection Sandwell Community Care Trust provided support to 118 people.

People’s experience of using this service: People we spoke with told us they felt safe with the staff that support them. Dependent on a persons assessed needs people who used the service live in their own homes either alone or as a small group. Each property has been adapted to meet individual need. All are supported be as independent as possible.

203 staff are employed across the service and suitable arrangements were in place to protect the people and keep them safe.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their life and they were supported in the least restrictive way possible.

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. These had been kept under review and were relevant to the care provided.

Staff spoken with respected and understood a person’s right to privacy and promoted their independence. People who used this service in the main had active social lives and staff supported them to positive experiences and opportunities. Staff told us people that used the service enjoy many community activities and holidays.

The registered manager and other managers spoken with showed respect and kindness towards people. They were passionate about their role and told us everything we do was centred around the individual. People were involved in making decisions about their care.

We met a number of people who used the service all were relaxed and we saw people were comfortable with their support worker. It was evident there was trusting relationships.

The people’s nutritional needs were met and they chose what they would like to eat and drink. People were provided with advice on health choices to maintain their health and well-being and the management team and staff knew when to refer to other health professionals.

There was a complaints procedure which was made available to people. People told us they would discuss any concerns or worries with their support worker. The advocacy service is used should anyone need support to express themselves.

Rating at last inspection: Good (08 February 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. Ongoing monitoring included information that quality had improved. We checked this in looking at the quality and safety of the service.

Follow up: The next scheduled inspection will be in keeping with the overall rating. We will continue to monitor information we receive from and about the service. We may inspect sooner if we receive concerning information about the service.

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

Sandwell Community Caring Trust is registered to provide nursing care and personal care to people in supported living accommodation. At the time of our inspection 110 people were using the service. Our inspection took place on 08 February 2016 and was announced with 48 hours’ notice to enable staff to be present to speak with us. The service was last inspected on the 30 July 2013 where it met all of the standards we looked at.

The manager was registered with us as is required by law. 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 a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Medicines were given appropriately.

We found that there was a suitable amount of staff on duty with the skills, experience and training in order to meet people’s needs, and people were kept safe.

People were able to raise any concerns they had and felt confident they would be acted upon.

People’s ability to make important decisions was considered in line with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People were supported to take sufficient food and drinks and their health needs were met.

Staff maintained people’s privacy and dignity whilst encouraging them to remain as independent as possible.

People, their relatives and staff spoke positively about the approachable nature and leadership skills of managers.

Structures for supervision allowing staff to understand their roles and responsibilities were in place and staff felt well supported by managers.

Systems for updating and reviewing risk assessments and care plans to reflect people’s level of support needs and any potential related risks were effective.

Quality assurance audits were undertaken regularly and senior management supported unit managers and staff well.

Notifications were sent to us, which informed us of any incidents or accidents that had occurred within the service. This enabled us to be clear on how such events were dealt with and how steps had been taken to minimise any future risks.

We gave short notice of our inspection. We did this so that we could make arrangements to meet and speak with people who used the service so that we could find out their views about the service that was being provided. We met and spoke with four people who used the service, six staff, two managers and two relatives. We spoke with a further five people using the service, and four relatives by telephone.

All people we spoke with were complimentary about both the service that they received and the staff. No one made any negative comments or raised any issues of concern. One person told us "I think everything is ok. I like where I live and I like my staff. Another person said “They look after me and I feel safe”. Staff told us that they enjoyed their work and that they felt people using the service were well looked after. One staff member said "I have worked for other care providers before. In comparison everything about this one is better. The people are all well looked after and the staff are well supported ". Relatives used words such as, “Tremendous”, “Excellent” and “Very good” to describe that service provided. One relative said, “I never worry. I know that they are being very well looked after at all times. The staff are all brilliant”.

During the time we spent with people we saw that staff treated them with respect and dignity. All people we spoke with told us that choices were offered and their views had been taken into consideration.

People's needs had been assessed by a range of health professionals including specialist doctors and the optician. This meant that staff had enabled people to have their health care needs monitored and met.

We saw that people’s home environment was comfortable, safe and well maintained. We saw that equipment that was needed to prevent risks and meet people’s needs was available.

Staff were supported to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the people living there. One person said, “The staff are very good.”

We found that systems had been used to monitor how the service had been run and people had been encouraged to give their views about the service provided.

We gave short notice of our inspection and carried it out over two days. We did that so that we could make arrangements to meet and speak with people who used this service so that we could find out their views about the service that was being provided. We met and spoke with seven people who used the service, eight staff and three managers. People we spoke with told us positive things about the service that they received. One person told us "I think I have a really good service. I can make choices and do the things I want to”. Another person said “It is a really good service and the staff are nice”. Staff told us that they enjoyed their work and that they felt people using the service were well looked after. One staff member said "I think all of the people have a good quality of life".

During the time we spent with people we saw that staff treated people with respect and dignity. People told us that choices were offered and their views had been taken into consideration.

People's needs had been assessed by a range of health professionals including specialist doctors and the optician. This meant that staff had enabled people to have their health care needs monitored and met.

We found that recruitment process were robust which meant that people were protected from unsuitable staff working for the service.

We found that systems had been used to monitor how the service had been run and people had been encouraged to raise concerns.