The Highlands

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed autistic people and people with a learning disability respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

People received safe, effective and well-coordinated care that reflected their personal needs and choices. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures and felt assured that concerns reported through the appropriate channels would be addressed.

The provider worked closely with people and their families to assess needs and develop personalised care plans. Detailed care plans and risk assessments supported consistent care delivery and were regularly updated to ensure they continued to reflect people’s evolving needs, preferences and goals.

Good communication between staff and the management team helped ensure people received consistent, well-coordinated support. Staff were recruited safely and received the training, supervision and support required to carry out their roles.

Medicines were managed safely and given as prescribed. Staff could clearly explain the appropriate procedures to follow in the event of an error or medical emergency.

Effective governance systems provided oversight of safeguarding and incident management. Concerns were reviewed regularly, learning from incidents was captured and disseminated to the wider team, and actions were taken to drive improvements in practice.

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. At the time of our assessment there was not a registered manager in post.