Equal People Mencap

The last rating for the service was good (Published 18 January 2019). The rating has remained good.

Staff told us they felt communication needed to improve. They explained they did not always feel supported by managers. Some staff told us that they did not feel their concerns were listened to. We shared this feedback with the management team. They told us they would meet with staff, reflect on this feedback and find ways to resolve these concerns.

External professionals told us there was good collaborative working to help meet people’s needs. However, some external professionals felt communication needed to improve. We shared this feedback with the management team so they could look at ways to address this.

People received safe care and treatment. They were supported by familiar staff who they knew well. Staff completed a range of training and had the skills to understand and meet people’s needs. There were effective systems for investigating accidents, incidents and complaints. The provider enabled staff, and people using the service to be involved in improvements when things went wrong.

Managers assessed the risks to people’s safety and wellbeing. They supported people to take risks and be independent when they were able.

People were involved in making decisions about their care. The provider assessed and planned for their needs. There were regular reviews and information was updated when people’s needs or wishes changed. People were supported to set personal objectives and work towards these. People consented to their care. Staff provided information in accessible formats to help people understand and make choices.

The provider worked in partnership with other agencies, organisations and services. They advocated for people and supported them to access these services, for example, health appointments.

There were effective systems for monitoring and improving the quality of the service. People using the service were central to this and there were opportunities for them to speak up and share their views.

There was no registered manager. However, the manager had applied to register with CQC. They worked closely with other members of the management team to oversee the running of the service.

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. The provider demonstrated they were following this guidance. They had undertaken work to address problems people had accessing healthcare services. They also worked with people to support them to secure education and employment. Staff understood how people communicated and found ways to overcome barriers. This helped to ensure people were involved in decisions about their care and the organisation. People were involved in recruiting staff, deciding organisational objectives and planning for the future.