Background to this inspection
Updated
2 December 2015
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 was 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 the 22 October 2015 and it was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our inspection. We did this because the provider or manager is sometimes out of the office supporting care support workers or visiting people who use the service. We needed to be sure that they would be in. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.
At the time of the inspection there were 37 people being supported by the service. We reviewed the information we held about the service. This included notifications about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We also spoke with a range of healthcare professionals, including trainers, social workers and commissioners.
We spoke with two people who were using the service and 12 people’s carers. We spoke with three care support workers, a care manager, the registered manager and the organisations, Chief Executive Officer. We reviewed nine people's care files, four care support worker records and records relating to the general management of the service.
Due to the nature of the service, we spoke with people’s main carers (people’s relatives); throughout the report we will refer to people’s main carer as carers. Staff employed by Crossroads Care were called Care Support Workers.
Updated
2 December 2015
This inspection took place on 22 October 2015 and was announced. The Cirencester branch of Crossroads Care provides a domiciliary care services which provides regular short breaks to carers/relatives who care for a person with physical needs or memory loss . Crossroads Care is part of the Carers Trust. The Carers Trust works to improve, support, services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring. At the time of our inspection there were 37 people and their carers using this service.
The service 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Due to the nature of the service, we spoke with people’s main carers (people’s relatives); throughout the report we will refer to people’s main carer as carers. Staff employed by Crossroads Care were called Care Support Workers.
Everyone we spoke with was complimentary about the service. People spoke highly about the care support workers and valued having regular care support workers which enabled them to build caring relationships. People and their carers spoke positively about the registered manager and care manager of the service.
There was a positive caring culture, promoted by the registered manager, care manager and chief executive officer. Care support workers were passionate about providing high quality personalised care and support. They spoke positively about people their preferences and their carers. Care support workers felt supported by the registered manager, describing them as approachable and supportive both personally and professionally.
Care support workers were knowledgeable about the people and carers they supported. They had access to development opportunities to improve their skills. Care support workers received specific training where it was required to support individual needs and had access to effective supervision (one to one meetings with their manager).
People's needs were assessed and where any risks were identified, management plans were in place. People were supported in a way that recognised their rights to take risks. People's care and support was personalised to their needs.
The service was responsive to people's changing needs. Care support workers identified when people’s needs had changed and made referrals to healthcare professionals where necessary. Carers spoke positively about the responsiveness and flexibility of the service.
People and their carers view on the service were continuously sought. The registered manager made every effort to ensure people and their carer’s views mattered. People and their carers felt the management was approachable.
Quality assurance systems were in place to enable the service to identify areas for improvement. The registered manager was supported by a chief executive officer who answered to a board of Trustees. The service ensured people and their carers had the information they needed.
The organisation was looking at creative and innovative ways to improve the amount and quality of support people and their carers could receive. This included community events aimed to support people who wanted more support.