Bristol DCA United Response is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 13 people with learning disabilities were using the service at five separate addresses.

The service people received was called ‘supported living’. This meant people received personal care from the provider in their own homes for which they had a separate tenancy agreement with a housing provider.

The inspection was announced. The provider was given 48 hours' notice because we wanted to make sure the registered manager and staff would be available to speak with us. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

There was a registered manager in post at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider. 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.

At our last inspection in November 2015 we found, a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Registration) Regulations 2009. This was because the registered manager and provider had not always submitted notifications of incidents to CQC as required by law. At this inspection we saw the provider had taken the action they had identified in their action plan. As a result improvements had been made and the service was no longer in breach of this regulation.

During this inspection we did not find any breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 or the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Registration) Regulations 2009

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good overall.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated good:

People received a service that was safe. The registered manager and staff understood their role and responsibilities to keep people safe from harm. People were supported to take risks, promote their independence and follow their interests. Risks were assessed and plans put in place to keep people safe. There was enough staff to safely provide care and support people. Checks were carried out on staff before they started work to assess their suitability to support vulnerable people. Medicines were well managed and people received their medicines as prescribed.

The service was effective in meeting people’s needs. Staff received regular supervision and the training needed to meet people’s needs. Arrangements were made for people to see a GP and other healthcare professionals when they needed to do so. The registered manager and staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and, worked to ensure people's rights were respected.

People received a service that was appropriately caring and maintained a clear focus on promoting independence. They were cared for and supported by staff who knew them well. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. People’s views were actively sought and they were involved in making decisions about their care and support. People were supported to maintain relationships with family and friends.

The service was responsive to people’s needs. People received person centred care and support. They were offered a range of activities both at the service and in the local community. People were encouraged to make their views known and the service responded by making changes.

People benefitted from a service that was well led. The vision, values and culture of the service were clearly communicated to and understood by staff. A comprehensive quality assurance system was in place. This system was based upon regular, scheduled audits which identified any action required to make improvements. This meant the quality of service people recei

Bristol DCA United Response is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people in their own homes which are supported living services. When we visited 7 people with learning disabilities were using the service at two separate addresses. Four people were receiving the service at one address and three people at another address.

The inspection was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our inspection. We did this to ensure we would be able to meet with people and staff at the service.

There was a registered manager in post at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider. 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.

We found a breach of Regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Registration) Regulations 2009.

There were enough skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs. Staff underwent pre-employment checks before working with people to assess their suitability. People were supported to take appropriate risks. Risks were assessed and individual plans put in place to protect people from harm. Medicines were managed safely.

The service was effective because staff had been trained to meet people’s needs. Staff received supervision and appraisal aimed at improving the care and support they provided. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in supporting people to make their own choices and decision. People were supported to eat a healthy diet and drink sufficient fluids. People were supported to maintain their independence.

People received a caring service because staff treated people with kindness and with dignity and respect. People, and where appropriate, family members, were involved in planning the care and support they received. People were supported to develop and maintain relationships with family and friends.

The service was responsive because the care and support provided was individualised. The service was planned around people’s needs. Staff supported people to participate in a range of activities both within their local community and in their homes. The service made changes in response to people’s views and opinions and learning from feedback.

The service was not always well-led. The registered manager and provider did not always submit notifications of incidents to CQC. However, the registered manager and senior staff provided good leadership and management. The values, vision and culture of the service were clearly communicated. The quality of service people received was continually monitored and any areas needing improvement were identified and addressed.

You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.