Archived: Direct Care - Leicester

Direct Care – Leicester is registered to provide personal care and support for people living within their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were five people using the service, some of whom were older people some of whom were living with dementia, people with a physical disability and people receiving end of life care. People were supported who had a learning disability and or autistic spectrum disorder.

This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered on 20 July 2015.

Direct Care – Leicester had a registered manager. 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.

People’s safety and welfare was promoted, which was confirmed by the completed surveys sent out by CQC. Safety and welfare was fully understood by staff who had received training on their role in protecting people from risk. Safety and welfare was further promoted through comprehensive assessments and on-going review of potential risks to people. Where risks had been identified measures had been put into place to reduce the likelihood of risk and were recorded within people’s records and understood and implemented by staff.

Staff upon their recruitment had their application and references validated and were checked as to their suitability to work with people, which enabled the provider to make an informed decision as to their employment. Staff underwent a period of induction and training, which included them being introduced to people whose care and support they would provide. Bespoke induction and training provided to staff and staff understanding of their role and responsibilities meant people were supported appropriately with all aspects of their care, which included support with their medicines in the management of their health conditions which promoted their safety and welfare.

People’s needs were effectively communicated and recorded and understood by staff, to ensure people’s needs were met. Staff communicated immediate changes or concerns to people’s health or welfare with those involved in a person’s care through the use of technology available through their mobile phone. This ensured staff were able to take the appropriate action to meet people’s needs. Staff had access to support from a member of the management team at all times.

Staff understood the importance of seeking people’s consent prior to providing care and support. Staff were aware of people’s rights to make decisions and were able to tell us how they encouraged people to express their opinions on their care and support. Staff were proactive in liaising with health care professionals and followed advice and guidance as detailed within people’s care plans. People received support with the preparation, cooking and eating of meals where needed to ensure people’s nutritional needs were met.

People’s records, including their care plans had been developed with the involvement of themselves or their relatives and provided information for staff about the person. The information was used to develop positive and professional relationships when delivering personal care and support when undertaking social activities and were reflective of people’s wishes and preferences. Staff fully understood and were committed to providing the care and support reflective of people’s preferences, which included staff understanding people when their communication was non-verbal. The person we spoke with was positive about the attitude and care of staff, stating they received support and care from a consistent group of staff. This was confirmed by the surveys completed by people using the service, community professionals and staff.

The care and support people received was very individualised and person centred, taking into account their specific needs which enabled staff to provide a responsive service to support the achievement of people’s goals as detailed within with their care plans. Changes to people’s needs were planned for and fully documented. The registered manager responded to people’s comments, concerns and complaints and was reflected in the records we looked at, including the surveys sent out by CQC. Information on how to raise a concern or complaint along with contact details for external agencies was made available to people when they commenced using the service.

The open and inclusive approach adopted by the provider, meant people using the service, staff and those employed by external services, such as health and social care were confident to liaised with the registered manager and staff about the service provided. This was reflected in people’s comments and the information we obtained by speaking to staff members and reviewing the surveys sent out by CQC.

The provider’s commitment to the continual development of the service and its aim to continually improve the quality of care it provided meant the provider continued to invest and identify areas for further development and improvement. The provider had attained accredited awards in quality management and health and safety, which were audited by external agencies to ensure compliance.