Background to this inspection
Updated
1 May 2019
The inspection:
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses health and social care services.
Service and service type:
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection:
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit as we needed to ensure the registered manager would be available to meet with us. We visited the office location on 26 March 2019 and 8 April to see the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures.
What we did:
Prior to the inspection we reviewed information we had received about the service. This included reviewing any notifications we had received from the service and information we had received from external agencies including the local authority and safeguarding team.
We asked the service to complete a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
This inspection included speaking with the service manager, registered manager, two locality managers and a care co-ordinator. We reviewed ten people's care records and four staff personnel files and recruitment records. We also looked at a range of other records about the management of the service. Following the inspection, we spoke on the telephone with seven people who used the service, three relatives of people who used the service and five support workers.
After the inspection we requested further information from the service manager and registered manager. This was used as part of our inspection.
Updated
1 May 2019
About the service: North Short Term and Urgent Support Team provide a reablement and rapid response service. The reablement service provides people with support for up to six weeks to help them live independently. In some instances, this service may be extended beyond this time frame to enable a permanent care provider to be found. The rapid response service supports people for up to two weeks to prevent admission to hospital or in the event of a breakdown in carer arrangements. At the time of our inspection there were 55 people receiving support with personal care from the service.
People’s experience of using this service:
People told us they felt safe, although we noted a potential safeguarding concern had not been reported to the local authority safeguarding team. Although risks to people’s safety and well-being were assessed risk assessments for all aspects of people’s care and support were not always in place.
Records relating to the management of medicines were not always clear. Steps had been taken to rectify this and were being implemented at the time of the inspection.
Staff were recruited safely, there were sufficient staff employed to meet people’s assessed needs. New staff received an induction and there was a system in place to ensure staff received ongoing training and supervision.
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 staff were caring and kind. Staff respected people’s privacy, maintained their dignity and encouraged them to be as independent as possible.
Care packages were tailored to meet people’s individual needs. Care records included information about people’s routines, the support required and their future goals. We have made a recommendation about the return of care records to the office when a care package has ended.
People were aware of how to complain. There was a system in place to seek feedback from people when their care package ended. Staff enjoyed their job, and the registered manager and all the staff we spoke with were clear about their role and responsibilities.
Not all audits had been completed at regular intervals and they had not been sufficiently robust to ensure all aspects of the service were safe.
Rating at last inspection:
At the last inspection the service was rated good (published 9 September 2016).
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on the rating awarded at the last inspection.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned for future dates.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk