Archived: Teamcare Support

Updated 10 January 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 checked whether the provider was 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 23 November 2016 and was announced. The provider was given short notice of the inspection date as the service provides personal care to only one person and we needed to ensure that person, staff and the registered manager would be able to speak to us. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector. Prior to the inspection we reviewed the information we had about the home, including notifications of events the home is required by law to send us.

We spent time in the office of Teamcare Support, spent time with the person receiving care, observed their interactions with staff and with the registered manager. We looked at the way in which medicines were recorded, policies and training in place for staff. We sought feedback from external healthcare professionals who had visited the service but did not receive any feedback from them.

We looked in detail at the care provided to the person receiving personal care, including looking at their care files and other records. We looked at the recruitment and training files for five staff members and other records relating to the operation of the home such as risk assessments, policies and procedures.

Updated 10 January 2017

Teamcare Support is a supported living and domiciliary care service providing support to 22 people experiencing severe and enduring mental health conditions. People lived in supported living accommodation owned and managed by the provider of Teamcare Support and used the service to support them with activities, attending appointments and regaining independent living skills. These aspects of support are not regulated activities so did not form part of this inspection. Of the 22 people using the service, only one person received the regulated activity of personal care and therefore this inspection focused on this person’s experience of care and support.

The service had a 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 a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We carried out a previous inspection of this service on 29 January 2014 where we found the service was meeting the requirements in the areas we looked at.

This inspection took place on 23 November 2016. The provider was given short notice of the inspection date as the service provides personal care to only one person and we needed to ensure that person, staff and the registered manager would be able to speak to us. The provider of the service was also the registered manager and will be referred to as the registered manager throughout this report.

The person whose care we reviewed spoke highly of the way staff treated them and made comments such as “They are caring” and “The staff are very considerate to me”. We observed staff displaying physical affection towards this person and treating them with respect and kindness.

This person told us they felt safe when receiving care. Staff knew how to recognise possible signs of abuse which helped protect people. Staff had received training in safeguarding and had access to information, guidance and relevant contact numbers should they have any concerns about people’s safety or wellbeing. Where requested and appropriate, staff supported people to take their medicines safely, had received training and had their competencies checked. Records relating to the person whose care we reviewed demonstrated they had received their medicines as prescribed by their doctor.

Staffing numbers at the service were sufficient to meet people’s needs and provide them with the number of support hours they needed. Staff had the competencies, qualifications, training and information they required in order to meet people’s individual needs. Staff received regular supervision and appraisal. Recruitment procedures were in place to ensure only people of good character were employed by the home. Staff underwent Disclosure and Barring Service (police record) checks before they started work in order to ensure they were suitable to work with people who were vulnerable.

Staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and put it into practice. They had a good understanding of the times and circumstances in which the person we reviewed was unable to make certain decisions and what they would do in these situations.

The service sought regular feedback from people, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals. They conducted an annual survey and the most recent survey analysis reflected some highly positive feedback being received. The majority of people said they were very satisfied with the service.

People were supported to work towards independent living and recovery. Skilled professionals were involved in planning people’s care and support plans which focused on their development, their skills, their wellbeing and their independence. The person whose care we reviewed was supported to progress in a number of areas, including cooking. Staff involved this person in cooking their meals and they told us with pride what they had cooked and how they had improved.

People were supported to take part in activities that met their interests. The registered manager ensured staffing levels were flexible in order to increase the numbers of staff should a person want to be supported to attend an activity. The registered manager had built an activities area within the grounds of the service office for people to use when they did not want to travel far from their homes. This area enabled people to take part in activities including gardening, relaxation, games and music.

There was open and effective management at the service, with staff having a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. There were effective systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality of the care and support being delivered.