Bolton Supported Living

We assessed this service due to concerns we received regarding supporting people with specific eating and drinking support needs.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Support:

People led active lives; staff supported people to take part in activities and to pursue their interests. 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. Staff carried out risk assessments and regularly reviewed these. Staff responded appropriately to changing risks, including deteriorating health, medical emergencies, and behaviour that challenged; they were supported by senior colleagues when managing complex situations. Staff regularly collected and monitored care data to ensure positive outcomes were being achieved. People received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity.

Right Care:

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity and understood and responded to their individual needs. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. The provider ensured there were enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs. People’s physical, mental and social needs were holistically assessed and met. Care and treatment was based on current best practice and delivered in a coordinated way with involvement from other relevant organisations.

Right Culture:

There was an open and transparent culture within the management team with a clear focus on providing good care. People and those important to them were involved in planning their care, where possible. Good communication and the active involvement of registered managers ensured any risk of a closed culture was minimised. Local partners in health and social care were positive about the culture of the service.

The service was led by a team of committed registered managers, supported by a well-structured leadership team. Staff described a positive and open culture where they felt supported and able to raise concerns or suggestions. The provider had established strong quality assurance and governance arrangements, ensuring consistent oversight and high standards of care. Concerns and complaints were managed appropriately. The registered managers reviewed feedback for trends and shared learning across the team to improve service delivery.

Care was delivered with compassion and respect. Staff promoted independence and supported people to make their own choices, encouraging active involvement in day-to-day decisions.

Since our last inspection, we found there were now more robust systems in place to support safety and manage risk effectively. Staff understood their responsibilities in identifying and escalating concerns, and safety incidents were appropriately recorded and reviewed. Learning from incidents was shared with staff to promote continuous improvement. Staff received regular and effective training in safeguarding and safety-related systems and processes.

Staffing levels were planned and monitored to ensure safe care delivery. Staff did not work excessive hours, and rotas were managed to maintain consistency and continuity. Medicines were administered and managed safely, in line with best practice.