Potens Dipton Supported Living and Outreach

At the time of the inspection there were 27 people using the service, in a block of flats and in a house on a residential street. The service supports people, who have either a learning disability or a mental health need. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

Some aspects of the environment at one of the supported living settings needed some maintenance and improvement. Work was on-going to make the building more suitable for the needs of the people living there. The other setting was purpose built and was designed to meet the needs of the people using it. Both settings had communal areas and quiet spaces. People were able to personalise their flats or rooms, one person told us, 'It was me that chose the colours, I put my stamp on it. I feel really good.' People had personal items and furnishings of their choosing. Communal areas were decorated based on themes agreed with everyone who used them.

One of the supported living settings accommodated nine people with a learning disability. The size of the service was not in-line with best practice guidance. People we spoke with told us they were happy living at the service and liked the people they lived with. There was a relaxed atmosphere with people mainly

choosing to socialise together. Care was individualised and person centred. Staff ensured decisions about any routines in the service were based on people's choices. People were regularly asked for their opinions and gave them freely. Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community. People had accessed preventative services such as screening for health conditions.

Right Care Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people's needs and keep them safe. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. Staff promoted equality and diversity in their support for people. They understood people's cultural needs and provided culturally appropriate care.

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs. People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs. People who had individual ways of communicating, using body language, sounds, which staff were familiar with. Staff had the necessary skills to understand people and therefore they interacted comfortably.

Right culture The service was open to new ways of working and ongoing improvements were introduced to promote independence and inclusivity. People received good quality care, support and treatment because trained staff could meet their needs and wishes. Additional training needs were explored with staff and provided to meet people's needs. Staff turnover was very low, which supported people to receive consistent care from staff who knew them well. Staff placed people's wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. They sought advice and feedback from everyone involved in people's care. Staff demonstrated kindness and compassion when they worked with people. Staff were aware of and working to best practice guidance for supporting people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.