11 August 2014
During a routine inspection
As part of this inspection we spoke with six people who used the service, four relatives, the service manager, six members of care staff and three healthcare professionals who had regular contact with the agency. We reviewed records relating to the management of the service which included: six care plans, daily records, safeguarding procedures, training records and quality assurance monitoring records.
Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people who used the service, their relatives and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at.Is the service caring?
Care and support was provided to people in their own flats within an extra care housing complex. People told us that they received consistent and respectful support from care staff and felt able to make choices and changes to their care when required. Care staff told us that they were well supported and supervised so that they could provide safe care and support to people. Meetings were in place so that people using the agency and their relatives were able to discuss any care and support issues.
Is the service responsive?
We saw that people's personal care and support needs were assessed and met. This also included people's individual choices and preferences as to how they wanted their care to be provided. People we spoke with told us that they could make changes to their support and had been involved in reviews of their care. Relatives that we spoke with also confirmed that they had been involved in reviews. We saw that changes to documentation were made to ensure that care and support being provided was up to date and met people's needs.
Is the service safe?
Risk assessments regarding people's individual needs were carried out and measures were in place to minimise any identified hazards. Care staff understood their roles and responsibilities in making sure that people were protected from the risk of abuse. We saw that the provider was taking appropriate action to ensure that all care workers were kept up to date with safeguarding training.
Is the service effective?
We found that care workers were knowledgeable about people's individual care and support needs. People who used the service that we spoke with, and their relatives, confirmed that care staff provided consistent care and support and were keen to address any concerns or issues. The service manager confirmed that reviews of care and support were in place to meet people's assessed needs.
Is the service well led?
Staff that we spoke with told us that they felt well supported by the management team. They told us that there was regular training so that they could safely provide care and support. People that we spoke with told us that they felt they were listened to and that support was consistently and safely provided. Quality assurance systems were in place to regularly audit the care and services provided. Surveys were carried out to gather opinions from people who used the service, relatives, and staff, to ensure that ongoing improvements were made. The management team were in daily contact with people and their relatives to respond to concerns or queries