8 March 2012
During an inspection looking at part of the service
During this visit we looked at outcomes one, four, seven, fourteen and sixteen of the essential standards of quality and safety, under the regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Outcome one looks at how the service respects and involves people in their care. Outcome four looks at the care and welfare needs of people using the service. Outcome seven looks at how the service safeguards people. Outcome fourteen looks at whether the staff have the right skills and knowledge to look after the people who use the service. Outcome sixteen looks at how the service assesses and monitors the quality of the services that people receive.
This visit was arranged at short notice. This means that we told the service that we were coming to carry out an inspection but we only told them a short time before we arrived. This was because we needed to make sure that the manager of the service was present to provide us with information.
During our visit the service provided us with information about how they have achieved compliance with each outcome area.
We looked at some of the records and documentation provided by the manager at the time of our visit. We also spoke with him about the management of the service. We found that records of care were detailed and thorough and there was clear evidence that the service was meeting the needs of people on a daily basis.
Following our visit we telephoned people who used the service and their representatives. We received positive comments and people told us they were happy with the care and support they received from the service although there were a couple of suggestions for improvement.
We telephoned some members of staff and spoke with them about what it is like to work for the service. We received positive comments from staff about the way the service supported them. Staff felt that they were equipped with the skills to meet the needs of people they were looking after.
There was a comprehensive quality monitoring system in place and people who used the service benefitted from effective quality care and support due to the appropriate management of risks to their health, safety and welfare.
When we visited, we were told that this service was in the process of change. The 'home care' service was being transferred to independent care agencies. As a consequence of this there were very few people using the service at the time. The people we spoke with told us that they had been kept fully informed about the changes. Some people felt unsure about the future service they would receive. People said, 'I only hope that it's as good as this has been.'
In this report we have referred to the people who receive care and support from this service as 'people' or 'users of the service'.