Archived: Prestige Nursing - Blackpool

Updated 4 May 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 checked 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 visit took place on 10 March 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a personal care service to people who lived in the community. We needed to be sure that we could access the office premises.

The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector.

Before our inspection on 10 March 2016 we reviewed the information we held on the service. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people the service supported. We also checked to see if any information concerning the care and welfare of people who were supported had been received.

During our inspection we went to the Prestige Nursing Blackpool office and spoke with a range of people about the service. They included the two senior managers, care manager, three staff members. We also spoke with a potential manager who was interviewed during the inspection. We also spoke with two people who used the service and the relatives of six people.

We looked at the care records of three people, training and recruitment records of three staff members and records relating to the management of the service. We contacted Healthwatch Blackpool prior to our inspection. Healthwatch Blackpool is an independent consumer champion for health and social care. We also spoke with the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced accessing the service.

Updated 4 May 2016

This inspection visit took place on 10 March 2016 and was announced. This is the first inspection since the service moved to a new location.

The service provides personal care to people who lived in their own homes. They covered a wide range of dependency needs including adults, children, people with a learning disability, people with mental health problems, people living with dementia and older people.

At the time of our inspection Prestige Nursing Blackpool was providing a service to 12 people.

There was not a registered manager in place and had not been a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) since April 2015. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC 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. Having a registered manager is a condition of registration with CQC. When we did the inspection the service had appointed a new manager.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe. They told us they received patient and safe care and they liked the staff who supported them. They said staff were polite and friendly, punctual and conscientious. There were procedures in place to protect people from abuse and unsafe care. Risk assessments were in place which provided guidance for staff. This minimised risks to people.

People told us they were supported by the same group of staff who they knew and liked. They told us they had confidence in their staff team as they were familiar with their needs and preferences.

Staff supported people with medicines safely. People able to manage their own medicines were encouraged to do so.

Recruitment and selection was carried out safely with appropriate checks made before new staff could start working for the service. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience needed to care for people.

Staff supported people to have a nutritious dietary and fluid intake, assisting them to prepare and eat food and drinks as they needed.

Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable how to support and care for people. They had the skills, knowledge and experience to provide safe and effective support.

Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported. People who received support or where appropriate their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care. Their consent and agreement were sought before providing care.

People who used the service and their relatives knew how to raise a concern or to make a complaint. The complaints procedure was available and people said they were encouraged to raise any concerns.

Senior staff monitored the support staff provided to people. They checked staff arrived on time and supported people in the way people wanted. Audits of care records and risk assessments were carried out regularly. People and their relatives were encouraged to complete surveys about the quality of their care. They told us they were pleased with the support they received.