Archived: Staffordshire Domiciliary Care

Updated 26 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 visit took place on 19 and 20 October and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service. We wanted to arrange home visits to people who used the service and to ensure staff were available to speak with us. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

We checked the information we held about the service and provider. This included statutory notifications that the provider had sent to us about incidents at the service and information we had received from the public. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us by law. Before the inspection, we had asked the provider to complete a provider information return (PIR). The PIR 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. The provider had completed this but it had not been received by us. However, we offered the provider the opportunity to share information they felt relevant with us

We visited four people who used the service and two relatives to gain their feedback on the care they received. We spoke with the manager, the service manager and five care staff. We reviewed records held at the service’s office, which included four people’s care records to see how their care and treatment was planned and delivered. We also looked at other records relating to the management of the service, including staff files and quality checks.

Updated 26 November 2016

We inspected this service on 19 and 20 October 2016. This was an announced inspection and we telephoned 48 hours’ prior to our inspection in order to arrange home visits with people who use the service. This was the first inspection of the service.

Advance Support Staffordshire provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes in Burntwood and the surrounding areas. At the time of our visit, approximately 16 people were receiving a regulated service. There was no registered manager in post. The previous registered manager had retired and a new manager had been appointed. 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 new manager was applying to register with us and was supported by a service manager, who managed the staff on a day to day basis.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe and looked forward to the staff visiting. Staff recognised their responsibilities to protect people from abuse and were confident the provider would take action if they raised any concerns. Safeguarding incidents were reported to the local authority to ensure these could be investigated. Risks to people were assessed and managed to keep people safe whilst promoting their independence. People received their medicine as prescribed and were supported to apply any creams they needed.

People agreed their support needs and preferences prior to receiving a service and reviews were carried out to ensure their care remained relevant. Staff gained people’s consent before providing care and understood their responsibilities to support people to make their own decisions. People’s needs and preferences were met when they were supported with meals and the provider ensured people accessed the support of other health professionals when their needs changed.

There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and checks were made to confirm staff were suitable to work with people in their own homes. The support was flexible and responsive to changes in people’s needs. People received care and support from staff who were well trained and knew how people liked things done. Staff received supervision and had opportunities to develop their skills to meet people’s changing needs.

People were treated with care and kindness by staff who enjoyed their work and were motivated to ensure people had a good quality of life. People valued their relationships with the staff team and told us the staff ‘go the extra mile for them’ when providing care and support. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity, promoted their independence and supported them to maintain social links with family and the local community.

People felt comfortable raising any concerns and were confident they would be responded to. People told us the service was well managed and they were encouraged to give their opinions on how things could be improved. Staff felt supported and valued by the provider’s management team and felt able to give their opinions on how the service could be improved for people. The provider had systems in place to continuously monitor the safety and quality of the service.