A care service looking after people with autism and learning disabilities in Northumberland has been slammed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and put into special measures after inspectors found "people were not supported have maximum choice and control of their lives".
After the inspection in July, Alexandra Park in Newbiggin was rated "inadequate" overall and for being safe and well-led. It was rated "requires improvement" for being effective, caring and responsive. In response, Lifeways Community Care - the firm which runs the service - said it had replaced the leadership team at Alexandra Park.
Alexandra Park offers supported living accommodation along with residential care - and at the time of the inspection there were 13 people on the "campus" in supported accommodation and four residential service users. The CQC's inspectors found that "systems to support and deliver care, and staffing numbers and staff training" did not support those being looked after to live independent lives.
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In the report, they wrote: "People were not supported to make decisions, engage in activities or access the local community. Care records and information received from staff, relatives and professionals indicated people, or their representatives, were not actively involved in care decisions and insufficient staffing meant people could not make choices easily.
"People were not always assisted with their medication in a safe and appropriate manner."
Other criticisms focussed on the poor quality care available - and the inspection team said this had a profound impact. "Care was not person centred, did not promote people's dignity and failed to support their human rights," the report said. "People had been left alone without staff support which had placed them at risk and caused them anxiety and distress."
A lack of "robust management" was also a problem, the CQC found. There was also a lack of difference in how the staff - who the CQC said felt "unsupported" by management - treated those living in residential care and those in supported accommodation. "People living in supported living arrangements were not always able to exercise choice and live as ordinary life as other citizens," the report read. "Care plans did not reflect the difference in care and did not support independence and choice."
The latest inspection took place, the CQC said, "in part due to concerns received about safeguarding issues, staffing and management of the service". Lifeways describes itself as "the UK’s largest supported living specialist", looking after more than 5,000 people around the country.
In response, a spokesperson for Lifeways Group said: "We acknowledge the findings relating to the inspection at our Alexandra Park development. We are disappointed by the conclusions of the CQC report, which are not consistent with the high standards we expect across the Lifeways Group.
"Since the inspection, there has been significant changes and improvements at Alexandra Park. We are continuing to work closely with the local authority to deliver further improvements.
"A new leadership team at Lifeways has been appointed and have already committed new investment in quality systems and processes, as well as improving our facilities, including those at Alexandra Park. We are taking independent advice to ensure the team deliver high-quality care to the people we support, which is always a top priority."
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