South Reablement Service

Updated 22 May 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) 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 Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type:

This service is a domiciliary care agency providing a reablement service. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. The service also provides support to people living temporarily in two apartments based in an extra care scheme. People using the service usually receive a time-limited package of care of around six weeks duration. The service predominantly provides support to older adults who have recently been discharged from hospital.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service 4 days’ notice of the inspection site visit. This was to enable the registered manager to contact people to ask if they would be happy for the expert by experience to contact them by phone. It also allowed us to check someone would be available at the office to facilitate the inspection.

Inspection site visit activity started on 09 April 2019 and ended on 10 April 2019. We visited the office location on 09 April 2019 to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. On 10 April, we made phone calls to staff working for the service and provided feedback from the inspection to the registered manager.

What we did:

Prior to the inspection we reviewed information we held about the service. This included the previous inspection report. We had not received any feedback about the service or statutory notifications from the service since our last inspection. Statutory notifications are information that services are required to send to CQC about significant events such as deaths and serious injuries.

On this occasion we did not request the provider to complete a provider information return. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements

During the inspection we visited the office to review records relating to people’s care and how the service was run. This included four care plans, daily records of care, training and supervision records, minutes from meetings, accident/incident records and quality assurance records.

We spoke with six people using the service and eight people’s relatives by phone. During the site visit to the service’s office we spoke with the registered manager and one team leader. In addition, we spoke with four care staff by phone.

We contacted professionals with recent experience working with the service for feedback. Two professionals provided feedback, which was positive. The local authority quality monitoring team told us they did not maintain oversight of local authority provided services.

Updated 22 May 2019

About the service:

South Reablement Service is a reablement service that provides people with time limited care and support in their own homes. The service also provides support to people living within a small number of dedicated flats located in an extra care housing scheme. Most people using the service were older adults who had recently been discharged from hospital. At the time of our inspection the service was providing support to 59 people.

People’s experience of using this service:

• People told us care staff were usually on time and would let them know if they were running late. There had not been any incidences of missed calls, and the registered manager investigated any ‘near misses’.

• People were very satisfied with the service they received, and told us staff were kind, caring and respectful.

• Staff were aware of the values and aims of the service, which focussed on supporting people’s recovery and re-building their independence. Staff put people in contact with other services that may be able to provide longer-term support where this was needed.

• People were involved in planning their care and agreeing goals. Staff monitored people’s progress toward achieving their goals.

• The service was not following best-practice guidance in relation to the management of medicines. There was not a clear record of the medicines staff had prompted people to take. The current medicines policy was also restrictive and meant staff were limited in the support they could provide to people. A new medicines policy was being developed, but this had not been done in a timely way. We have made a recommendation in relation to medicines management.

• Staff received a range of training relevant to their job roles. They felt they received good support from the management team.

• The service worked effectively with other health and social care professionals to provide people with good quality, co-ordinated care.

• The registered manger had not submitted required information about a safeguarding incident to the CQC in a timely way.

Rating at last inspection:

We last inspected South Reablement Service in September 2016 when we rated the service good overall (report published November 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a routine comprehensive inspection. The inspection was scheduled based on the timescales in which we re-inspect services rated good. This is currently 30 months.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk