Archived: The Old School

Updated 14 June 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 12 May 2016 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of our inspection because the service offers care and support to people in the community and we wanted to be sure that the registered manager was available.

The inspection was carried out by one inspector. Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used this information to support a judgement about the quality and safety of care offered by The Old School.

After the inspection we spoke with two health and social care professionals, three carers and three volunteers who gave us their views about the quality and safety of the service.

We looked at the care records of three people. We also looked at the recruitment records and training information for three volunteers, supervision records for office based staff, a range of policies and procedures and quality assurance monitoring checks.

Updated 14 June 2016

This inspection took place on 12 May 2016 and was announced. This was because the service provided care to people in the community and we wanted to be sure there was someone in the office when we visited.

Ryedale Carers Support is a local voluntary organisation in the Ryedale area based at The Old School in Kirbymoorside. Volunteers provide practical and emotional support for adult carers, the people they care for and some individuals who live alone in the community. This takes three main forms.

• A sitting service, where a matched volunteer sits with the person being cared for to enable carers to go out.

• A visiting service, where a matched volunteer befriends an older person living alone in the community.

• Support groups, which are monthly meetings providing social and recreational stimulation for carers and people who are cared for.

There is no charge made by The Old School for their service. Most of the people who receive a service from The Old School do not require assistance with personal care, however a small number (six on the day of inspection) either do, or have the potential to require this type of support.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Carers told us they felt the volunteers worked with people safely. Volunteers told us they were confident that if they had any concerns about people's safety, health or welfare then they would know what action to take, which would include reporting their concerns to the registered manager or to relevant external agencies. Potential risks to people were assessed and discussed with carers to ensure people remained safe.

Volunteers were safely recruited and received relevant training to enable them to meet people's needs in a safe way. Office staff received regular supervision. Volunteers received support at meetings held throughout the year and also whenever they required this through contact with the office and the registered manager.

The service did not become involved in handling medicines, other than to prompt people when this had been discussed and agreed.

People's needs were met, which included support with meals and drinks when required. Volunteers and management liaised with health care services and external agencies where appropriate.

Volunteers gained consent from people before delivering care. The registered manager understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and volunteers were encouraged to approach people in a way which supported them to make decisions about their care. People's needs were assessed prior to them receiving a service and carers told us they had been involved in the development and reviewing of the service they received.

People were very happy with the care and support they received. They made very positive comments about the volunteers and told us they were kind and helpful. People told us they were treated with respect and volunteer training records confirmed that treating people with regard to dignity and respect were covered on their induction.

We saw appropriate information was given to people using the service to ensure they knew how to raise concerns or make a complaint. The registered manager had not received any complaints within the last 12 months but had received a substantial number of compliments.

The service responded to people’s individual needs and preferences and a document drawn up at the beginning of the volunteer relationship showed that people’s needs and interests had been recorded. Volunteers were able to tell us what was important to the person they spent time with and demonstrated they had the knowledge to place each person in the centre of their care.

Systems were in place to check the quality of the service provided. The registered manager sought regular feedback from people in order to develop and improve the service. Regular volunteer meetings were held where people were encouraged to voice their views. Volunteers told us that communication was effective and that they felt supported by the registered manager and the office team.