Background to this inspection
Updated
23 September 2017
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 1 August 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
We reviewed the information we held about the scheme and looked at the notifications they had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.
We spoke with six people who used the service and two relatives. We spoke with four care staff, the manager and the provider.
We looked at four care plans, including the medicine records, four staff recruitment records, two staff meeting minutes, the last 12 months incident forms, and quality audits that the registered manager had competed.
Updated
23 September 2017
This inspection took place on 1 August 2017 and was announced.
This service provides care to people living in their own homes and there were 40 people receiving personal care when we inspected. At the last inspection, in August 2015, the service was rated Good overall. At this inspection we found that the service remained good overall.
There was no a registered manager in post; however the current manager has submitted an application to us to become the registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People felt safe when receiving care from the staff and received care from staff that protected them from the risk of potential abuse. People were support to remain safe and had their individual risks recorded and reviewed. The plans in place showed staff how to keep each person's risks lower and prevent risk of harm or injury. People who had support with their medicines had them administered when needed, with staff that were trained and competent to do so.
Staff received regular training and talked to us about their knowledge and their roles and responsibilities. Their skills, knowledge and experience supported people with their care needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People told us they arranged healthcare appointments as required and that staff were helpful in making telephone calls and providing reminders of appointments.
People had a personalised service in their home from staff they knew. People received care that met their needs and were able to direct staff about the specific care on each call. People’s dignity had been supported and staff were respectful of people’s human rights.
People’s views and decisions been recorded in their care plans, which had been regularly reviewed and changed when needed. People had the information in their home about how to make a complaint should they wish to raise a complaint.
People received regular contact from the management team to ask about the standard of care and they were always able to talk with them about any concerns if needed. Staff spoke with the manager and provided feedback on the service. The manager told us they kept their knowledge current and provided staff with input and direction about the levels of care they expected with regular meetings and supervisions. The management team monitored the quality of the care that people received, that included reviewing records and observing staff practices.