Trident Reach Domiciliary Care - Birmingham Branch

Birmingham & Solihull Domiciliary Care is part of the Trident Reach The People Charity, and is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. There were 37 people receiving care and support at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe with the support of staff. Risks to people had been assessed and staff had a good understanding of these risks and how to minimise them.

People were supported to receive their medication as prescribed and staff demonstrated a good knowledge of types and signs of abuse and how to report concerns of abuse.

People were supported by staff who had the skills to meet their needs. People’s consent was sought before providing support. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and what this means for people.

People’s nutritional needs were met, and people were happy with the support they received to enjoy a choice of meals. People were supported to access to healthcare professionals when required.

People told us staff were kind and caring in their approach and people’s privacy and dignity was respected. People’s independence was maintained and encouraged.

People received individualised care and support from staff that demonstrated detailed knowledge of people’s individual needs. The provider supported people to access information by producing care plans and other records in different formats.

People’s needs were assessed and reviewed on a regular basis. People’s care records were person centred and guided staff on the way they preferred their care and support to be provided.

People and relatives told us they had not needed to make a complaint or raise concerns but knew how to and would feel comfortable doing so should they need to.

The management team had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service that they provided, however we found that the staff training record showed that a number of staff had not received refresher training in line with provider's stated timescales. The checks made had not been effective in identifying this issue or taking action in a timely way.

The management team showed a commitment to developing the service. They maintained good links with local community groups and healthcare professionals and looked to develop the service to improve the care of the people it supported.

People, their relatives and staff all spoke positively about the service and said it was well managed.

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection we rated Birmingham & Solihull Domiciliary care as ‘Good’ (report published 19 December 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection which took place on 30 May 2019. Telephone calls were made to people receiving care and their relatives on 29 May 2019.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

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

Birmingham and Solihull Domiciliary Care provides personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 34 people. Many of the people who used the service had learning disabilities and a significant number were older people from the local Chinese community.

There was a registered manager in place who was present during our inspection. 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 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us that they felt safe. Staff would make additional calls or stay longer with people if they required additional support. Staff knew how to report allegations or suspicions of poor practice.

People who needed prompting with their medicines were supported appropriately. Staff knew how to dispense medicines safely and there was regular training to make sure this was done properly.

People were supported by staff who had the appropriate skills and knowledge they needed to meet their care needs. Staff knew and respected people’s cultural needs and heritage.

People received care in line with their care plans. People were supported to eat and drink enough to stay well and staff assisted people to eat foods they enjoyed. The registered manager sought and took advice from relevant health professionals when necessary.

People were supported by regular staff with whom they had developed meaningful relationships. People said staff treated them with dignity and respect and promoted their independence.

Staff were knowledgeable about people’s preferences and provided care in line with their wishes. People were involved in deciding how they wanted their care to be delivered in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

The registered manger took effective action when people’s conditions changed to ensure they continued to receive the appropriate support. People had access to a complaints system and the registered manager responded appropriately to concerns.

People who used the service and staff expressed confidence in the leadership of the senior team. The registered manager had a clear vision of the service which they shared with staff and they understood their responsibilities to the Commission.

The registered manager assessed and monitored the quality of care and operated a robust system to ensure people received their calls on time.