Background to this inspection
Updated
16 February 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 was planned to check 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.
We undertook an announced inspection of Social Care Personal Assistants on 11 January 2017. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.
Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR).This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. Our review of this information prior to our inspection enabled us to ensure that we were aware of, and could address any potential areas of concern.
We spoke with one in person at their home, a representative and one relative by telephone. We also spoke with the registered manager and three care workers.
We looked at three people’s care and medication administration records, the systems for monitoring staff training and six staff recruitment files. We looked at other documentation such as quality monitoring records and policies and procedures. We also looked at records of staff training, supervision, appraisals, spot checks and complaints records.
Updated
16 February 2017
The inspection took place on 11 January 2017. We gave the registered manager 48 hours’ notice of our intention to undertake an inspection. This was because the organisation provides a domiciliary care service to people in their own homes and we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the office.
Social Care and Personal Assistants is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. There were three people being supported with personal care at the time of our inspection.
At the last inspection of the service in 21 June 2016 we found the service was not meeting the regulations in regards safe recruitment of suitable staff. The provider sent us an action plan of how they would ensure this would not happen again. At this inspection we found that this regulation had been met.
There was a registered manager in place for 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.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005(MCA) and report on what we find. No one being supported by the service lacked the mental capacity to make day-to-day decisions. Staff demonstrated to us that they respected people’s choices about how they would like to be supported. However, not all staff were able to demonstrate a sufficiently robust understanding of MCA. The lack of understanding could increase the risk that any decisions made on people's behalf by staff may not be in their best interest and as least restrictive as possible.
Plans were put in place to reduce people’s identified risks, to enable people to live as safe and independent a life as possible. Arrangements were in place to ensure that people were prompted with their prescribed medication when needed. However, staff were administering medicines without recording them on the medicines administration record. This meant that accurate records of staff supporting people with their prescribed medication could not be kept.
People were supported by staff in a respectful and caring way. Individualised support and care plans were in place which recorded people’s care and support needs. These plans enabled staff to identify any assistance a person may have required.
Arrangements were in place to assist people when needed to access a range of external health care professionals and were assisted to maintain their health and well-being. Where required, staff supported people to maintain their links with the local community to promote social inclusion. People’s health and nutritional needs were met.
People were able to raise any concerns or suggestions that they had with the registered manager and staff and they felt listened to. Communication between people and the office and staff management was good.
Pre-employment safety checks were in place to ensure that all new staff were deemed suitable to work with the people they supported. There were enough staff available to meet people’s care and support needs. Staff understood their responsibility to report any concerns about poor care practice.
Staff undertook training to provide care that met people’s individual care and support needs. Staff were assisted with their training needs by the registered manager to maintain and develop their skills. The standard of staff members’ work performance was reviewed by the registered manager through supervisions, appraisals and spot checks. This was to ensure that staff were competent and confident to deliver the care and support required.
The registered manager sought feedback about the quality of the service provided from people who used the service. Staff were notified of any updates and changes to the service via e-mail communication. Quality monitoring processes to review and identify areas of improvement required within the service were in place.