This inspection was announced and took place on 11 May 2016. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a supported living service and we needed to be sure the manager would be available for the inspection. It also allowed us to arrange to visit people in their own homes.

Voyage (DCA) Somerset and Devon provides personal care to people living in their own homes and in supported living houses with shared occupancy. They provide care and support in the counties of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. People who live in the shared supported living properties have individual tenancy agreements. At the time of the inspection they were providing personal care and support to eleven people. We visited two supported living properties which were shared by two people in one property and four in the other to discuss the care they received. One person agreed to talk with us about their experience of the care they received although they had limited communication. Other people living in the shared accommodation either had limited communication or chose not to talk with us. We observed how people interacted with staff and whether they were relaxed and happy.

This was the first inspection since Voyage (DCA) Somerset and Devon registered with the CQC. No concerns have been identified with the care being provided to people during the registration process.

At the time of the inspection the manager was going through the registration process to become 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.

All staff had attended training relevant to their roles however; they had not received training that was specific to the special needs of some people they supported. For example they had not received training in Asperger’s or Autism even though they cared for people living with these conditions. The new manager confirmed they had highlighted the need for staff to attend specific training and we saw dates planned for the week following our inspection. One care worker said, “We look after people with Asperger’s and Autism but never been trained in what it means to live with the conditions. I am so glad the new manager has found a course for us to go to, I am looking forward to it.”

Supervision and one to one sessions with a manger had not been a regular occurrence. Staff confirmed they had not had regular one to one supervision until the new manager had re-instated them. They told us they had all had a one to one meeting with the manager and they had dates for further meetings and team meetings with their line manager. The manager confirmed they had noted staff supervisions and team meetings had not been happening. They arranged for all staff to receive a supervision date and had been working with all the staff to ensure they received at least four one to one meetings a year and an annual appraisal.

There were systems in place to monitor the care provided and people’s views and opinions were sought on a daily basis. However; the manager explained that when they first took up their post they had conducted a quality audit of the service and found work needed doing to bring the service in line with current best practice. They had contacted the organisations quality team and asked for a whole service audit to highlight the areas for improvement. The manager had a clear action plan and this showed some areas had already been improved whilst others were in progress. Suggestions for change were listened to and actions taken to improve the service provided. All incidents and accidents were monitored, trends identified and learning shared with staff to put into practice.

People who received care and support from Voyage (DCA) Somers