Background to this inspection
Updated
3 August 2018
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 registered 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.
The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector and included a visit to the Age UK Darlington’s office on 13 and 18 June 2018. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to make sure key staff were available to assist us with the visit.
To help us to plan the inspection we considered all the information we held about the service. Before the inspection, the registered provider had also completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well, and improvements they plan to make. We sent questionnaires to people who used the service and analysed the responses to these to inform this report.
We requested the views of other agencies that worked with the service, such as healthcare professionals and Healthwatch Darlington. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. This service does not contract with the local authority so we did not consult them, however we did speak with staff from a joint health and social care team who signpost people to Age UK Darlington.
We spoke with four people who used the service and one relative over the telephone or in person. The registered manager was not available on the days we visited the service but we spoke with the Integrated Services Manager who was covering the management of the service in the registered manager’s absence. We also spoke with the Chief Executive Officer and four of the five care staff employed.
We looked at documentation relating to four people who used the service in detail and at four staff files including; recruitment, training and support documentation. We also looked at documentation and systems that were in place to manage the service. Due to the nature of the service we did not visit people in their homes but we observed staff speaking with people in the office and over the telephone.
Updated
3 August 2018
Age UK Darlington provides personal care, in the form of a bathing service, to older people living in their own homes in the community. Staff also support people with food preparation, shopping and housework. Care and support is co-ordinated from the service’s office, which is based at Bradbury House in Darlington. People can choose to use accessible bathing facilities at Bradbury House if they prefer this to bathing in their own home. Other services are delivered by the charity Age UK Darlington from this building which are separate to the regulated service. At the time of our inspection there were 23 people receiving care and support from the service.
At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.
At this inspection we found the service remained good.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Age UK Darlington on our website at www.cqc.org.uk'
There is a registered manager in post who has managed the service since November 2017. This is a different registered manager from when we previously inspected the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the registered provider.
Recruitment processes were robust, which helped the employer make safer recruitment decisions when employing new staff.
There were systems in place to reduce the risk of abuse and staff were confident about reporting concerns.
Personal and environmental risks were assessed to ensure people could be supported in the restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Incidents and accidents were monitored and action was taken to reduce risks.
Staff had undertaken a range of training that met people's needs. Staff were supported to develop their knowledge and skills.
People were supported to lead healthier lives and maintain appropriate diets. This included receiving information about other services which could promote their health and wellbeing.
People told us they found staff caring and that care was delivered in a way that maintained their privacy and dignity. Staff also told us they felt that they worked in a caring and supportive environment where people were respected.
We found the service had a strong focus on supporting people to be as independent as possible and policies and practices supported this.
People's needs had been assessed before their care package started and, where possible, they or their relatives had been involved in formulating their care plans. Staff worked with other healthcare professionals to ensure people received a seamless service that met all their needs.
The people we spoke with told us they knew how to raise any concerns and said they felt comfortable doing so. Procedures were in place to record and investigate any concerns or complaints.
People were consulted about their satisfaction with the service and told us they were happy with the services being provided. We were told that people using the service and staff had good relationships with the management, who were accessible and approachable.
The management team regularly checked the quality of the service with a view to continuous learning and improvement.