3 County Care

“The service was registered to provide support to people living with a learning disability, although no one had a diagnosis at the time of the assessment. We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence, and good access to community facilities. We were assured the provider and staff demonstrated these principles.”

“The service is also registered as a supported living service, although at the time of our assessment there was no one receiving a regulated activity. We therefore did not assess this part of their registration.”

“Key findings”

“This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.”

“People received support from staff who understand their individual needs and preferences, alongside a commitment to help them remain independent within their own homes. One person told us, “I find everyone so accommodating and caring. I have contacted them about changing the time of the call and they are sorting that out; they are very quick at suiting each individual.””

“Care plans reflected people’s needs, wishes and preferences. These included the support people required with day-to-day tasks, such as ordering medicines, managing appointments, food shopping and maintaining their home. There was detailed information about people’s religious beliefs and cultural preferences, including how they wished to engage with their faith. Staff and leaders understood people’s protected characteristics and describe how care was adapted to meet people’s needs. For example, scheduling care visits around prayer times and religious observances.”

“Home environmental risk assessments were completed to identify potential hazards that could affect people’s safety and wellbeing. Leaders used information from accidents and incidents to identify opportunities for learning and improvement. Leaders worked with people, relatives and healthcare professionals to review risks and plan ahead for the future. This included obtaining appropriate equipment and supporting people to make changes to their home environment to ensure they remained safe as their health conditions progressed. For example, the provider supported changes to rooms layouts and thresholds between different types of flooring. One relative told us, “I find that [The Registered Manager] will make suggestions before I have even thought of the issue; I don’t know what I don’t know, so this is really useful as they have experience across the sector.””

“Staff spoke about people with kindness, compassion and respect. Staff promoted people’s right to make their own choices and ensured concerns were recorded promptly and accurately. Leaders supported appropriate actions and worked with healthcare professionals to ensure people received timely access to additional services.”

“Care plans contained clear guidance for staff on actions to take should there be a change in people’s health. People received care and support that was informed by best practice guidance and tailored to their individual preferences and needs.”

“Staff also worked closely with healthcare…”