Wisdom Support Services Ltd

The service provides support for people who have mental health needs, autism and learning or physical disabilities. We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. At the time of the assessment there were 7 people using the service who received personal care in supported living schemes. We visited 2 people in their homes.

The assessment was carried out because of the length of time since our last assessment in 2018. The last rating for this service was ‘Good’.

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

This was an announced assessment and comprehensive assessment, the overall rating for the service is Requires Improvement. Th provider was in breach of legal regulation in relation to fit and proper persons employed, safeguarding, and good governance.

Risk assessments and management plans were not always robust. Medicines were not always safely managed. People were not always safeguarded from potential abuse. People were not always protected from the risk of infection. Robust recruitment checks were not always carried out. Staff did not always feel supported by senior managers. Management governance, oversight and the provider’s quality assurance processes were not always effective. This was because they had failed to identify the concerns we found at this assessment. The provider responded positively to the findings.

People’s needs were assessed prior to joining the service. People's privacy and dignity were maintained. Staff received regular supervision. Staff were kind and caring and promoted people’s independence. The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were provided with information in formats that met their needs.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service operates.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.