Cambridgeshire County Council Reablement Service

Updated 28 March 2018

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 was carried between 01 and 21 December 2017. We gave the service 48 hours' notice because the registered manager also manages services on other sites and we needed to be sure that they would be in.

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection, we reviewed information we held including safeguarding information and notifications made to the Care Quality Commission. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We also contacted local community health and social care professionals to seek their views on the service.

We spoke with six people who used the service and one person’s friend. We also spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager and care staff. We also spoke with a discharge planning service manager.

We looked at records and associated documentation relating to the service including two care and support plans, medicines records, staff recruitment and training records, and quality assurance records.

Updated 28 March 2018

This inspection took place between 01 and 21 December 2017.

This was the first inspection of this service since it was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2015.

Cambridge County Council Reablement Service South (City Team) is operated and managed by Cambridge County Council. Reablement is a period of short-term assessment and intensive support. It helps people regain the confidence and the ability to carry out day-to-day activities after a period of illness, the onset of a disability or a significant change in their life. This inspection looked at people's personal care and support. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care to 50 people.

People were kept safe and staff were knowledgeable about reporting any incidents of harm. The service had systems and procedures in place which sought to protect people who used the service from abuse. Staff demonstrated a working knowledge of local safeguarding procedures and how to raise a concern.

People were safe at the service because the provider had systems in place which minimised risks.

People were looked after by enough staff to support them with their individual needs. Pre-employment checks were completed on staff before they were assessed to be suitable to look after people who used the service. People were looked after by staff who were trained and supported to do their job.

People were supported to take their medicines by staff who were trained and had been assessed to be competent to administer medicines.

Staff demonstrated their understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS); these provide legal safeguards for people who may be unable to make their own decisions.

People were supported by kind, respectful staff who enabled them to make choices about how they wanted to live.

Comprehensive support plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported. People and, where appropriate, their relatives, had agreed and were fully involved in making decisions about their care and support.

People told us they were happy with the care and support provided. People told us staff treated them with dignity and respect and promoted their independence.

There was a process in place so that people’s concerns and complaints were listened to and were acted upon.

There were clear management arrangements in place. Staff, people and their relatives, and other stakeholders were able to make suggestions and actions were taken as a result. Quality monitoring procedures were in place and action was taken where improvements were identified.

There was a strong ethos centred on effective partnership and excellent working relationships had been forged with other community health and social care professionals.