Creative Support - Blackburn Services

Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire Domiciliary and Supported Living Scheme is part of Creative Support Ltd. The service is registered to provide 24-hour care and support to adults who have learning or physical disabilities or mental health needs. People using the service are tenants who live mainly in a variety of shared houses across East Lancashire that are staffed on a 24-hour basis. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The care quality commission does not regulate premises for supported living. This inspection looked at people's care and support. The service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin Registering the Right Support. These values include choice, promotion of impendence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary life as any citizen.

At the time of this inspection there were a total of 47 people using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place. 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.

The service had built on their previous success and sustained the good model of support provided to people living within the service. Significant improvements since last inspection had been made and an outstanding rating in effective had been achieved. This was achieved by improving outcomes for individuals. The person- centred vision and the values of the service had been further developed and embedded into the culture of the service.

People told us they received personalised support which was responsive to their needs. Care plans were well written in a person-centred manner detailing how people wished to be supported. People's independence and choice was promoted. People who used the service were involved in regular person- centred reviews, in a format enabling them to be as fully involved as possible.

All staff we spoke with told us they loved their job, felt part of a good team and felt valued by their managers. The service had implemented Achieve Q awards which recognise and reward staff achievement. Staff told us they felt able to raise any issues of concern.

Comprehensive information and training was in place to guide staff in the most effective approaches which included positive behaviour support.(PBS) The service had supported people effectively and the number of people who required PBS interventions had reduced.

People who used the service had health action plans, hospital passports and dental passports in place. Records we reviewed showed that people were supported to attend health appointments where necessary. Staff were confident in challenging professionals if they felt people's health needs were not being met.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff had followed the code of practice in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. (MCA)

People who used the service told us they felt safe with the staff who supported them. People told us there were always staff available to support them.

Systems were in place to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and appropriate action was taken when required.

Recruitment processes were robust and were carried out to ensure suitable people were employed to work at the service. The service made sure that people being supported were included in the interview process to recruit the most appropriate staff.

Potential risks to people's welfare had been assessed thoroughly and procedures put in place to minimise these. Risk assessments were holistic, robust and person-centred with the least restrictive option being considered.

Staff responsible for assisting people with their medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required. Staff told us they had received the appropriate training and support they needed to carry out their role effectively. All new staff received a comprehensive induction to the service.

Systems were in place to ensure the safety and cleanliness of all the premises where people who used the service lived. Systems were also in place to ensure that people's nutritional needs were monitored and met.

We observed positive interactions between staff and people who used the service. People told us the staff who supported them were kind and caring and enabled them to maintain their independence as much as possible.

Staff were empathetic and passionate about the people they cared for and treated them with dignity and respect.

All the people we spoke with told us they would feel able to raise any concerns with the managers in the service and were confident they would be listened to. An easy read complaints and compliments policy was in place.

The service was underpinned by a person-centred ethos and this was demonstrated throughout the service.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found