10 11 & 17 December 2015
During a routine inspection
This announced inspection took place on 10 11 & 17 December 2015. The service provides domiciliary care and support to adults that live at home throughout Northamptonshire.
There was a registered manager in post. 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 registered manager had delegated the day to day running of the agency to a branch manager.
There were some systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service however these systems required strengthening to ensure any concerns or areas for improvement were identified and acted upon.
People felt safe in the house and relatives said that they had no concerns. Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and abuse and knew what action they should take if they had any concerns.
When there were unforeseen changes in staffing levels the branch manager reviewed the workload so that people received the support they required at the times they needed it. The recruitment practices were thorough and protected people from being cared for by staff that were unsuitable to work at the service.
Care records provided information to staff about action to be taken to minimise any risks whilst allowing people to be as independent as possible.
Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and where possible people or their family members were involved in making decisions about their support.
People were prompted to take their medicines as prescribed. People were supported to maintain good health as staff had the knowledge and skills to support them and when there were concerns these were raised with family members or healthcare services when needed.
Where possible people were actively involved in decision about their care and support needs There were formal systems in place to assess people’s capacity for decision making under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
Staff developed good relationships with the people they supported. Staff were aware of the importance of managing complaints promptly and in line with the provider’s policy.
The branch manager was visible and accessible and staff and people had confidence in the way the service was run. The branch manager was supported by the registered manager.