Archived: Consummate Care Limited - Kettering

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

People told us that they felt safe in their own home and we observed people to be happy and relaxed around the staff that supported them. All staff had completed the provider’s mandatory training. Staffing levels ensured that people received the support they required at the times they needed. We observed that there was sufficient staff to meet the needs of the people they were supporting. The recruitment practice protected people from being cared for by staff that were unsuitable to work in their home.

Support plans contained risk assessments to protect people from identified risks and help to keep them safe. They gave information for staff on the identified risk and informed staff on the measures to take to minimise any risks.

People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed. Records showed that medicines were obtained, stored, administered and disposed of safely. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare services when needed.

People were actively involved in decisions about their care and support needs There were formal systems in place to assess people’s capacity for decision making under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their support. People participated in a range of activities both in their own home and in the community and received the support they needed to help them do this. People were able to choose where they spent their time and what they did.

Staff had good relationships with the people they supported. Complaints were appropriately investigated and action was taken to make improvements to the service when this was found to be necessary. The management was approachable and had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. Staff and people were confident that issues would be addressed and that any concerns they had would be listened to.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, the staff supporting them and from looking at records.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read our full report.

Is the service safe?

Overall, our findings showed that people's care and support was planned and delivered in line with their individual needs.

People using the service were safe because appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work, and their health and welfare needs were being met by appropriately skilled staff.

Is the service effective?

People's health and care needs had been assessed prior to them using the service. One relative told us the assessment procedure had been 'very thorough.' They told us that everything had been discussed in detail, even down to the skills of the staff being matched to provide care and support to their relative.

People we spoke with praised many aspects of the service including the consistency of staff, the quality of the staff - in terms of their skills, knowledge and attitude, and told us they felt listened to and involved.

Is the service caring?

People told us that they were happy with the care and support being provided to them or their relative. It was clear from our observations and from speaking with staff that they had a good understanding of people's care and support needs and that they knew them well.

One person told us their relative had complex needs and that staff were 'doing everything they can' to meet these needs. They said they were able to sleep at night, knowing that their relative was in safe hands.

Is the service responsive?

Systems were in place to monitor people's healthcare needs. A relative told us that staff were very good at ensuring her relative's healthcare needs were fully met. She described staff as 'observant' and told us about a particular incident where staff had been quick to react and had undoubtedly reduced the risk of serious health complications for the person as a result.

People knew who to talk to if they had any problems. They confirmed that if they had raised concerns, these had been listened to and acted on promptly. One person told us they felt their input was respected and valued.' Another relative told us: 'You suggest something and they listen.'

Is the service well-led?

Staff we spoke with were clear about their roles and responsibilities. They told us they felt well supported by the manager and provider.

The manager, who had been in post since July 2013, explained there had been a number of changes since she had started. She told us she had introduced new systems to monitor the quality of the service provided to people using the service, however, she acknowledged that some of these needed further work to ensure they were sufficiently robust. Despite this, the people we spoke with provided positive feedback. One person told us that the manager was very 'hands on', and would pop in to make sure everything was going well for their relative. Another person told us the manager, who worked 'exceedingly hard', was supported by 'intelligent' staff with a 'grown up approach' to their work.

We found that checks had been carried out on care workers before they started employment with the provider. This ensured people were supported by care workers who had the appropriate skills, experience and qualities they needed to carry out their roles.

We found that the provider had made improvements to their quality assurance system so that the services they provided were better monitored and ensured a good service to the people that used the service.

People who used this provider told us that they were able to make decisions about their day to day lives and that their independence was promoted. Comments included, "My carer helps me go out to the shops, the pub and my part time job', 'the support my son receives is fantastic'. 'He is more relaxed enjoying life and is safe' We spoke with some of the carers who said training they received was excellent and gave them a good understanding of how to meet people's needs and what to do if there were any problems. We found that care plans were based on the assessed needs as determined by the referrer or funding authority. Care plans were detailed and took account of people's individual needs and how this would be supported. We found that the provider needed to make improvements to their quality assurance system so that the services they provided were better monitored to ensure a good service.