Focus Care Supported Living Ltd

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

Staff at the service were not risk adverse, when supporting a person's rights. 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. Where people had been assessed as lacking mental capacity legal restrictions had been applied for, agreed and put in place as guidance for staff.

Staff were knowledgeable and very responsive to people's individual needs and preferences, often finding effective, creative, and innovative ways to help people live as full a life as possible. Staff promoted and enabled people to exercise their human rights, their ambitions and personal goals. Staff worked hard alongside people and their relatives to help people to follow their interests both within their own homes and the wider community.

Staff supported people to explore and achieve their personal goals and aspirations. Engagement in daily tasks such as shopping, taking part in activities and linking with support networks were an important part of people's lives. For some people, at previous care placements this had not always been a possibility for them. People took part in a wide range of pastimes. Staff were willing to go the extra mile and try different ideas to help people live rewarding lives and develop the life skills they needed and wanted. This enabled people to become as independent as possible.

The registered manager and their staff team linked up, communicated and worked with other organisations and health professionals to ensure people's well-being. This included working with different organisations involved in best practice guidance to try to improve the lives of people living with autism and or a learning disability.

The culture of staff was inclusivity and people were involved in different aspects of the service. People were given easy read versions of legislation and best practice guidance to aid their understanding of why it was important staff followed these. Inclusivity for people also included being involved and helping making decisions at potential new staff interviews. Taking part and completing training alongside staff, having a supervision and taking part in the quality auditing of the service. People were encouraged to apply for paid jobs with the organisation and a person had been successful in doing this.

Professionals who worked with staff had extremely positive things to say about how staff had transformed people's lives for the better. The provider and staff team worked well with other agencies and organisations to provide very effective and responsive joined-up care for people.

Staff monitored and managed people's individual and known risks. Staff understood their duty to keep people safe wherever possible from poor care and avoidable harm. Staff were trained in infection control and helped people keep their homes clean. People were supported safely with their medicines. Competency checks reviewed staff's ability to manage this support task safely.

Checks were completed on potential new staff to help make sure they were suitable to work with the people they supported. Staff received an induction, mandatory training, competency checks and supervisions to develop their skills and knowledge. Staff were encouraged to develop their skills through completing further qualifications.

Staff were empowered by the provider to give people a high-quality service. There was a very robust and embedded governance system in place to check and monitor the quality of care being provided. The nominated individual was very involved in the day to day running of the service. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. People and their relatives knew the nominated individual and management team very well.

Staff treated the people they supported kindly and with compassion. People and their relatives had extremely positive opinions of the staff who cared for them, their family members. Staff promoted and maintained people's privacy and dignity when supporting them.

Staff supported people to follow a balanced diet and people, where possible, were involved in helping to make decisions about their care. People's preferences on how staff delivered their care was recorded in care records.

Complaints were investigated and resolved where practicable. People knew how to raise any concerns. The registered manager gave people, their relatives and staff, opportunities to give their view of the service and from this feedback action was taken to make any improvements.