This inspection site visit took place on 22 November 2018 and was announced.

Upward Care Limited provides care and support to people living in supported living' settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. It provides personal care to adults with learning disabilities within five shared buildings, The Willows, Stoney Close, Nethercote Gardens, Chelmsley Lane and Greytree Crescent. Up to 24 people can receive a service.

People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's personal care and support. At the time of this inspection 24 people received a service and all were in receipt of the regulated activity personal care.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

A requirement of the service's registration is that they have 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 a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. A registered manager was in post.

People and their relatives confirmed they received safe care. Risk management plans provided staff with the information they needed to keep people and themselves safe.

Staff had completed safeguarding adults training and knew how to protect people from the risk of abuse. Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to infection control which protected people from the risk of infection.

Action had been taken when accidents and incidents had happened to prevent any reoccurrence.

Enough staff were employed to meet people's needs in a timely way and records showed staff had been recruited safely. New staff received an induction when they started work at the service. People told us staff had the skills and knowledge they needed to meet their needs.

The provider was working within the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

Some people were supported with the preparation of meals and drinks. Staff knew how to monitor people's nutrition and hydration which supported them to remain healthy.

The service worked in partnership with other health and social care professionals to support people to maintain their well-being and health.

People told us staff were caring and staff practices during our visit demonstrated people mattered. People were involved in the planning and review of their care. Care was provided in line with people’s wishes by a consistent staff team.

Staff knew people well and understood how people preferred to communicate. The management team and staff demonstrated they understood the importance of promoting equality and human rights.

People were encouraged to maintain their interests and relationships that were important to them.

People were supported to be independent and their rights to privacy and dignity was respected.

People received information about the service in a way they could understand, and a system was in place to manage complaints about the service provided.

People and relatives told us the service was well-led. Staff enjoyed working at the service because they felt supported and valued by their managers.

People were involved in developing the service through monthly tenant’s meetings. Regular feedback was gathered from people and their families on the service they re

This inspection took place on 30 March 2016 and 12 April 2016. We gave the provider 24 hours notice of our visit to the office on 30 March 2016. This was to ensure people and staff would be available for us to speak with. On 12 April we spoke by phone to people who use the service, and to their relatives.

Upward Care Limited provides a supported living service to people with a range of physical, learning, and mental health needs. They provide care and support to people who live in eight individual flats at The Willows, and to three other shared homes called Stoney Close, Nethercote Gardens and Greytree Crescent. The provider does not own the properties people live in. The people who use the service have separate tenancy agreements with the property owner. The office for the service is located at The Willows. At the time of our visit, the provider supported 19 people.

The service had 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 using the service and the provider had systems in place to keep people safe. Care workers had a good understanding of what constituted abuse and actions to take if they had any concerns. People were supported by care workers they were familiar with, and who supported them to complete the required tasks. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs.

Checks were carried out prior to care workers starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people, and people who used the service were involved with staff recruitment. Care workers received an induction to the organisation and a programme of training to support them in meeting people’s needs effectively. People received their medicines when required from staff trained to administer them.

Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005), and gained people’s consent before they assisted them with care. Staff were aware of when they should seek further support to enable people to make important decisions.

People who required support had enough to eat and drink during the day, and staff worked in partnership with healthcare professionals to support any complex dietary needs. People were supported to attend appointments with external healthcare professionals to ensure their healthcare needs were met.

Care workers were kind and caring and we observed they had the right skills and experience to provide the care required. People were supported with dignity and respect. Staff ensured people’s need for privacy was respected.

Staff knew people well and provided care and support which was ‘person centred’ and supported people in the ways they preferred. Care plans contained relevant information for care workers to help them provide personalised care including processes to minimise risks to people’s safety.

People and their relatives knew how to complain and could share their views and opinions about the service they received. Care workers were confident they could raise any concerns or issues with the management team and they would be listened to and acted on.

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 staff. Other checks and audits ensured care workers worked in line with the provider’s policies and procedures.

The Willows consists of eight self-contained flats in which people with a primary diagnosis of a learning disability can live independent lifestyles with support. During our visit we spoke with four people as they moved around the communal areas. We also spoke with the registered manager, the acting manager and two staff members.

People had an assessment before moving to the service to ensure it could meet their needs and people understood the service offered. We saw people were supported to maintain their independent living skills with the guidance and encouragement of staff.

Support plans were person centred and reflected people's individual needs. There were assessments and plans in place to manage any identified risks and keep people safe. People were supported to maintain their physical and mental health and referred to external health professionals when a need was identified.

Staff had received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults from abuse and understood how to safeguard people. There were procedures in place to ensure staff were safe to work with vulnerable people. During our visit we observed friendly interactions between staff and the people who lived at the service. One person told us, "I like the staff."

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. People who used the service were asked for their views about their care and treatment in a quarterly service user report.