Archived: Kaleidoscope South Hams Limited

Updated 2 November 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 inspection took place on 14 and 17 October 2016 and the provider was given four days notice of the inspection in accordance with our current methodology for the inspection of domiciliary care agencies. The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector.

We reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR) before the inspection. The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and the improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed other information we held about the service and notifications we had received. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

During the inspection we went to the service’s office and spoke with the registered manager, the provider, four assistant managers and two team leaders. We visited four people in their own homes and met two team leaders and one care worker during those visits. We looked at four records relating to the care of individuals, staff records and records relating to the running of the service. After the visit to the service’s office we spoke with four people, three relatives and five care workers by telephone.

Updated 2 November 2016

Kaleidoscope South Hams Ltd is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people with a learning disability or a mental health condition in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing supported living services to 36 people. The number of support hours people received each day ranged from a few hours to 24 hours. A supported living service is one where people live in their own home and receive care and support to enable people to live independently. People have tenancy agreements with a landlord and receive their care and support from the domiciliary care agency. As the housing and care arrangements are separate, people can choose to change their care provider and remain living in the same house.

We carried out this inspection on 14 and 17 October 2016 and it was announced four days in advance in accordance with the Care Quality Commission’s current procedures for inspecting domiciliary care services. The service was last inspected in February 2014 and was found to be meeting the Regulations.

There was a registered manager in post who was responsible for the day to day running of the service. 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.

Some people who used the service were not able to tell us their views about the care and support they received. However, we observed people were relaxed and comfortable with the staff supporting them. Comments from people who were able to talk with us included, “I am very happy”, “I am getting on OK” and “I like all my staff.” Relatives told us they were happy with the care and support their family member received and believed they were safe. One relative said, “I haven’t got any complaints, everything is absolutely fine.”

Staff were recruited safely, which meant they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse. All were clear about how to report any concerns and were confident that any allegations made would be fully investigated to help ensure people were protected.

People received care from staff who knew them well, and had the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. Staff were employed to work in specific teams and each team supported a small group of people using the service. Where people had particularly complex needs only staff trained to meet their needs were allocated to work with them.

Care plans provided staff with direction and guidance about how to meet people’s individual needs and wishes. These care plans were regularly reviewed and any changes in people’s needs were communicated to staff. Staff told they were kept informed of people’s changing needs. Any risks in relation to people’s care and support were identified and appropriately managed.

Staff supported people to access specialist services such as occupational therapists, epilepsy nurses and dieticians. Relatives told us they were confident that the service could meet people’s health needs. Staff supported people to maintain a healthy lifestyle where this was part of their support plan. People were supported by staff with their menu planning, food shopping and the preparation and cooking of their meals. People were supported to access the local community and told us they took part in activities that they enjoyed and wanted to do.

The registered manager had a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and how to make sure people who did not have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves had their legal rights protected. Mental capacity assessments and best interest meetings had been carried out as required. Management had identified where it might be necessary to apply to the Court of Protection to authorise a deprivation of liberty and had highlighted this to the local authority. This was because some people had restrictions in place, in relation to when they could go out, in order to keep them safe.

There was a management structure in the service which provided clear lines of responsibility and accountability. There was a positive culture within the staff team and staff spoke passionately about their work. Staff were complimentary about the management team and how they were supported to carry out their work. Staff commented, “They are a good company to work for, there is good communication” and “They are brilliant and they really look after their staff.”

Relatives were positive about how the service was managed, commenting, “I speak with [person’s name] manager regularly and they keep me informed of any concerns” and “The organisation is well run.”

People and their relatives said they knew how to make a formal complaint if they needed to but felt that issues would be resolved informally as the management and staff were very approachable. There were effective quality assurance systems in place to make sure that any areas for improvement were identified and addressed.