Kings Lynn Supported Living

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

People told us that they were treated well and loved their home. We found that people's rooms were personalised and staff supported people to make choices for themselves. We found that within the houses people were supported to create personal space and take control of what happened within their home. We found that people were involved in choosing their meals and were supported to cook their own meals. We however did not find any risk assessment around safety in the kitchen. People were supported to access a wide range of activities. A relative told "They always keep the people active and the staff take part as well". Staff told us that sometimes there were incidents of challenging behaviour, but they developed strategies as a team to manage them effectively. We observed good person centred care, however this was not always reflected within the care plans we looked at.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People told us that they were happy within their home and staff treated them well. People told us that they knew how to contact the team manager and service manager if they had any issues. We saw people making choices and staff supporting them to do so. One family member told us that "my sister had lived in the home for 20 years, and it is very much her home. She loves Christmas, and the staff keep her tree up in her room all year round"

Staff were open and willing to talk to us, take on feedback and showcase what they were doing. They spoke about supporting people to achieve their goals. A staff member told us how much they enjoyed spending time with people and supporting them. Staff were complimentary about their working environment, other staff, stated it was a strong team and the management who they described as very approachable. Staff said they were empowered to suggest activities or positive changes within the home to enhance the lives of people.

One external partner told us "Another important point I would like to make is the level of support and care that the staff provide. They are interested in their client’s progress, ask for any help they can give with developing riders and are kind and thoughtful to their clients at all times. One of the riders is often nervous when she gets to the Riding School but she gently manages these nerves with the help of carers and our volunteers so she invariably finishes her lessons wreathed in smiles".

Staff were patient and staff made connections with people talking about things they were interested in and what they had been doing. Staff appeared kind and enjoyed spending time with people. There was real camaraderie between the people in the service and staff made sure they were not disruptive of this dynamic. During the Short Observation For Inspection (SOFI), we saw staff actively changing their communication and engagement style in line with the changing moods of people.

People told us that staff respected their choices and enabled them to achieve their goals. People's picture plans detailed what they wanted to achieve and were tailored to each person. Within one of the locations, people had a separate fridge each to store their personal shopping, while a communal fridge held items for dinner for everyone. One person told us "staff respect my choices although I can sometimes be mischievous". A relative told us, "staff do a pretty good job caring for my sister. They take her out to town, keep her busy and she likes to buy Christmassy things, so they (staff) converted the shed into a Christmas grotto for her”.

Staff and managers alike spoke of person centered care and said about their training and development which helped them understand peoples needs. One person who had recently moved in, was being supported to decorate their bedroom. This person had taken a liking to butterflies, and staff supported her to order walk stickers online. The manager stressed that staff would work at the person's pace to ensure they got their bedroom just right for them.

External partners told us that the staff team were caring and provided good support for the people within the service. One person told us that "Our experience of the care of King’s Lynn Supported Living has been excellent and this is opinion is held by our team of over 30 volunteers".

We saw that people were happy within the service. People were seen to be engaging in whatever activities they had on their schedule for the day. There was a sense of good communal living, with the staff enabling positive interaction. One person told us that they loved everything about Christmas and showed us their Christmas decorations that are permanently on display within their bedroom. Staff supported them to maintain safety within their bedroom.

There were clear audits to ensure people care, their environment and their social support remained appropriate. Through social worker teams appropriate assessments were undertaken and reviewed.

People were being supported to develop their skills. One person told us that they were able to walk to the day centre independently. Another person had been supported to move into a flat, where they had more independence and choice within their home. They showed us their pet hamster, and told us they took care of it with support from the staff team. People had choice over their food, and directed staff on how they wished to live their lives.

Staff told us that empowering people and watching them thrive was the best feeling. Staff were person centred and understood the abilities and limits of the people within the service. Staff told us that they were enablers and thus worked with people to release their potential.

We saw staff supporting people to a wide range of activities. Conversations we observed were people led, and there was a good balance in staff intervention. We observed one person folding their laundry from the tumble dryer. Staff stayed close and gave tips rather than do it for the person. The person was quite elated once they had finished.

The management team had created an atmosphere where active support was the norm, and staff supported people to do, rather than do for them. A person liked to collect large rocks from the beach, and paint them. The management and staff had created an area within the courtyard where the person could store their rocks.

Staff interacted well with people, and we could see that the the residents trusted the staff to understand their needs. We observed people going up to staff and staff, and initiating communication around their needs. People had key workers in place and the manager explained that it was a dynamic process, and the key worker would change based on the preferences of the person and the relationships they might build with certain staff.

Staff knew people well and could tell when there were changes in people. Staff told us that from the first conversation in the morning you could tell people's moods and knew how to support them through those changes in mood. Staff communicated well with the team managers and the service managers meaning issues were quickly escalated and dealt with. Lessons learned were discussed at team meetings.

We completed a short observational framework for inspections (SOFI) as part of our assessment and we observed staff responding to changes in the mood of people. We observed the Manager and deputy being active role models and working with staff and people during our observation. there was good communication between the staff and the people supported.

Staff we spoke to felt that they were well supported by the management team, and were given the confidence to work with people to achieve their goals. Staff were very open to speaking to us and felt proud of their place of work. One staff member had worked within the service for over 20 years and told us that it felt like a second family. Staff told us that the manager was open and honest and they felt they could speak to her about their concerns.

There was a robust recruitment process in place which took into account the needs of the people within the service. The staff folders reviewed showed that all the mandated checks had been completed. There was a process in place from booking agency staff, through the local authorities approved provider list. the service manager said they had agreements in place to have the same regular agency staff where needed.