Archived: Key Staff

Updated 27 January 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 was planned to check 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 was an announced inspection which took place on 26 November 2015 by an inspector and the provider was given 48 hours’ notice of the inspection was given because the service is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

We looked at the information we held about the provider and this service, including any statutory notifications and enquiries relating to the service. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us.

As part of our planning for the inspections we asked the local authority if they had any information to share with us about the care provided by the service. They told us they had no current concerns about the service.

We spoke with four people who used the service, four relatives, four care staff, an operations manager and the registered manager who was also the provider.

We looked at the risk assessments and specific care plans care records for six people, five staff files and looked at records relevant to the quality monitoring of the service.

Updated 27 January 2016

This inspection was carried out on 26 November 2015.

Key staff is registered to provide personal care and support for people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 19 people received care and support from this service.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People said that they felt safe with the care and support provided, and that staff were kind, caring and always respectful towards them. Staff understood how to recognise and protect people from abuse and received regular training around how to keep people safe. Staff were not recruited until checks had been made to make sure they were suitable to work with the people that used the service.

People told us that the staff and management were approachable and if they had any concerns they would be listened to.

People said that staff were reliable and there were enough staff to meet their needs. People said that staff holidays or sickness were covered by other staff to make sure that they had consistent support.

People told us that they felt confident that staff had the knowledge and skills to provide the right care and support. We found that staff had regular training that they felt this supported them to deliver safe and effective care. People’s care records contained the relevant information for staff to follow to meet people’s health needs and manage risks appropriately. Staff told us that they were made aware of any changes in people’s needs in a timely manner. Care plans and risk assessments were clear and updated quickly if people’s needs changed.

People we spoke with were happy with the care and support that they received.

People told us that they were involved in the care and support that they received. People told us they had choice over the support they received and nothing was done without their consent. Staff understood the principles of consent and delivering care that was individual to the person.

People told us that staff responded quickly if someone was unwell and supported people to access other health professionals when needed. People were supported to take their medicine safely and when they needed it.

The provider and registered manager had systems to measure the safety and quality of the service. Checks and audits were completed regularly to make sure that good standards of care were maintained.