Background to this inspection
Updated
23 February 2017
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 20 and 23 January 2017 and was announced. The inspection team consisted of three inspectors. We gave the provider three days’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to make arrangements to speak with people who used the service and staff. At the time of our inspection, 67 people were receiving personal care support.
We checked the information we held about the service and the provider. This included notifications that the provider had sent to us about incidents at the service and information we had received from the public. We also reviewed the local authority’s current quality monitoring information. We used this information to formulate our inspection plan.
We also had a provider information return (PIR) sent to us. A PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service. This includes what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. As part of our planning, we reviewed the information in the PIR.
We spoke with four people who used the service and four relatives by telephone. We also spoke with three members of care staff, one senior, one care coordinator, the manager and the operations manager during our office visit.
We looked at the care plans of four people to see if they were accurate and up to date. We reviewed two staff files to see how staff were recruited and checked the training records to see how staff were trained and supported to deliver care appropriate to meet each person’s needs. We also looked at records that related to the management of the service including the systems the provider had in place to ensure the quality of the service was continuously monitored and reviewed to drive improvement.
Updated
23 February 2017
This inspection was announced and took place on 20 and 23 January 2017. The service was registered to provide personal care support to people living in their own homes in the Cannock and Stafford areas. At the time of our inspection, 67 people were using the service. Our last inspection took place in June 2013, and at that time the provider was meeting the standards we looked at.
The service did not have 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. The provider had recruited a manager and they were in the process of registering with us.
When people were not able to make decisions about their care, the provider had not assessed this and was not able to show why receiving support was in their best interests. People’s support was being arranged from a location that was not registered with us, and the provider had not formally notified us about this.
People were safe receiving support from staff who visited them. Staff understood how to protect people from harm and abuse. Risks to people were managed and staff knew how to support people safely. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and the provider had safe recruitment processes in place. When people needed support with their medicines, this was managed safely.
People were supported by staff who had the knowledge and skills needed to carry out their roles. When needed, people received support to maintain a balanced diet and good health.
People received support from staff who were caring and kind. Staff knew people well and understood their needs. People’s privacy was respected and their dignity and independence was promoted.
People were involved with the planning of their support, their care needs were reviewed and the provider responded to any changing needs. People were happy to raise any concerns or complaints, and the provider acted on feedback received.
People were happy with the support they received and staff enjoyed their work. Staff were supported in their roles and the provider promoted a positive open culture. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of care, and the provider was keen to drive continuous improvement.
We found breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.