Affinity Supporting People (North Lancashire and Burnley)

We assessed the quality statements for the key questions of safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture.’ This guidance supported judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choice, independence, and access to local communities that most people take for granted. We found the service had a strong culture focused on respecting people as individuals and valued people’s individuality, life experiences, preferences and ambitions. The provider and leaders had modelled and embedded good practice which supported staff to go above and beyond to facilitate positive opportunities and outcomes for the people they supported.

People received an exceptional level of person-centred care from skilled and knowledgeable staff. Staff were committed to supporting people to identify and overcome any barriers to equitable experiences and outcomes. People had been empowered to achieve long held ambitions in their lives, this included getting married, travelling to the other side of the world to connect with family and returning to their chosen home following long term absences. Goal planning was completed and reviewed regularly. People’s homes reflected their lifestyles and personal taste. People had been supported to plan and achieve ambitions which reflected what was most important to them in both the short term and longer term. People had opportunities to socialise and engage in their local communities and contributed to charitable causes.

People received safe care and were protected from avoidable harm and abuse because the provider had robust systems in place to identify safety concerns. Risk management processes ensured there were clear plans in place to minimise risks and respond to changes. Staff had opportunities to learn from safety incidents and felt supported by leaders to be open.

Staff had been recruited following the providers robust recruitment procedures, which in addition to all the required pre-employment checks, included value-based interview questions.

People’s medicines were safely managed, staff had regular training to support their knowledge, and guidance was in place to support decision making about medicines prescribed on a when required basis.

People’s needs had been holistically assessed with input from people, their relatives and other professionals involved. People had been supported to be involved in planning their care and support. Regular reviews helped ensure care records and support plans were up to date. People were supported to access health care and to attend routine screening. Staff ensured they had up to date health information when supporting people accessing health services. People had hospital passports which were kept up to date to support them with both routine and emergency events. Effective communication and team working contributed to staffs’ awareness of people's needs and achieving positive health outcomes.

The provider and leaders had embedded a strong value-based culture across the organisation. People received a consistent quality of care because the provider had robust and effective systems in place which gave good oversight of the quality of care, care records and staff performance. Regular audits also included the premises and identified any areas which needed to be addressed. Staff feedback was positive about working for the provider and the guidance and support provided by leaders. The provider ensured they understood staffs' equality diversity and inclusion needs during recruitment and as part of their induction. Some staff told us about adjustments they had in place to support them at work.