Walfinch Mid & South Buckinghamshire

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.

People received safe care. Staff understood about protecting people from abuse and knew how to report it. Medicines were handled safely. Risk assessments had been written to reduce the likelihood of injury or harm to people. There were procedures for preventing the spread of infection and staff had access to personal protective equipment. We have made a recommendation about hand hygiene as some staff were seen wearing nail varnish and acrylic nails. Recruitment checks were carried out before staff started work. We have made a recommendation to improve the quality of references.

People received effective care. People's privacy, dignity and independence were promoted and they told us the service met their needs. Care plans were in place to record the support people needed. Staff received an induction and there was a comprehensive training programme to equip care workers with the skills they needed to meet people's needs and support them safely. There were checks to make sure care workers applied their training when they supported people.

The service was managed effectively. Staff said they felt supported and had good training opportunities. Audits were carried out to check the quality of people's care and make improvements where necessary. The provider and registered manager kept up to date with care practice. They worked well with other agencies and understood their responsibilities towards acting in an open and transparent way (duty of candour) and to inform relevant authorities of incidents. People told us there was effective communication at the service.

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: The model of care maximised people's choice, control and independence.

Right Care: Care was person-centred and promoted people's dignity, privacy and human rights.

Right Culture: The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using the services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

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.