Waterside House

Significant improvements had been made following the previous inspection in October 2020, this included improvements to promote the safety and wellbeing of people and the staff who supported them. They had enhanced their quality assurance processes, drawing from best practice guidance to provide better oversight. There was a positive focus on learning from mistakes and ensuring action was taken.

New and improved systems and processes had been introduced for the reporting and recording of issues related to safeguarding and accidents and incidents. The management team and wider staff group fully understood their individual and collective responsibilities in this area.

Staff training and the quality of risk assessments and care plans had improved. In particular, the provider had invested in developing skills and resources to ensure the staff team were equipped to provide compassionate care to people.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Medicines were managed safely, and greater oversight was introduced with new medicines auditing tools.

Improvements had been made to Infection prevention control (IPC) practices. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), hand sanitisers and posters with key messages were at the entrance to the two supported living settings we visited. Any visitors to the service had to show a negative COVID-19 test 30 minutes prior to visiting. Staff were responsible for daily cleaning of all areas of the service including frequently touched and high reach areas. All staff had completed training in infection prevention and control.

Further work was still ongoing in respect to changing the culture at the service and the provider adopted the key principles of 'Right support, Right care, Right culture'. However, a small number of staff we spoke with were not familiar with this key guidance. We have made a recommendation within the well-led section of

this report.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

This service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Significant work had commended to ensure the support people received was outcome based, to allow people to focus on goals and priorities within their life and what they would want to achieve. People are treated as individuals and care were provided flexibly in line with their preferences. The management team and staff of Waterside House shared a renewed passion for supporting people which shapes the culture across the service.