Archived: Integer Healthcare Services

Updated 4 October 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 took place on 08 August 2017 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our inspection to be sure that the staff would be available to support the inspection. The inspection was completed by one inspector.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The provider returned the PIR and we took this into account when we made judgements in this report. We also reviewed other information that we held about the service such as notifications, which are events which happened in the service that the provider is required to tell us about, and information that had been sent to us by other agencies. This included the local authority who commissioned services from the provider.

During our inspection we spoke with three people who used the service, one relative, one member of care staff, the registered manager and the nominated individual.

We looked at care plan documentation relating to three people, and three staff personnel files. We also looked at other information related to the running of and the quality of the service. This included quality assurance audits, training information for care staff, meeting minutes and arrangements for managing complaints.

Updated 4 October 2017

This inspection took place on the 08 August 2017 and was announced. Integer Healthcare Services was registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection four people were receiving care and support.

This was our first inspection of the service since they registered with us in August 2016.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of 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 in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The provider lacked the oversight for monitoring the quality and safety of the service delivered. The lack of oversight from the provider resulted in a lack of induction, supervision and training for staff and lack of documentation in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Risks associated with people’s care had been assessed, however; in some instances no risk assessments had been completed to assist staff with mitigating known risks to people.

Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and knew what action they should take if they had any concerns. Staff understood their role in caring for people with limited or no capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Documents relating to the MCA had not always been fully completed.

People had plans of care in place which contained details of people’s preferences, life histories and support that people required.

People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare services when needed.

People received care from staff that were kind, caring and passionate about providing the care and support people wanted to enable them to stay in their own homes. People told us that they felt safe in their own home and we observed people to be happy and relaxed around the staff that supported them.

Staffing levels ensured that people received the support they required safely and at the times they needed. The recruitment practice protected people from being cared for by staff that were unsuitable to work in their home.

Staff had good relationships with the people they supported. There was a complaints policy in place which people who used the service and their relatives knew how to access.

We found one breach 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 this report.