Background to this inspection
Updated
30 July 2019
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
There was one inspector who visited the office and an Expert by Experience who spoke to people using the service or their relative by telephone. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type:
The service is a home care agency, it provides personal care to people in their homes.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
A comprehensive inspection took place on 17 July 2019 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that staff would be in the office and to arrange for telephone calls to people and relatives.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection we looked at:
• Personal support plans and risk assessments for three people
• Medication records and risk assessments for two people
• Records of complaints and audits
• Records of feedback collected from carers and the adults they care for
• Other documents relating to the management of the service.
During the inspection we spoke to:
• The registered manager
• Two care support workers
• 11 carers, who are relatives of the adults receiving the service, by telephone
After the inspection:
• We sought feedback from the local authority and health and social care professionals who work with the service. We received feedback from a health professional, they gave us permission to quote them in this report
• We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at survey results after the inspection.
Updated
30 July 2019
About the service
Crossroads Care South Central is a charity providing home and emergency respite care services for carers in West Sussex. This included carers of adults with various conditions including older people living with dementia, people living with autism and people with a physical disability or condition such as MS.
At the time of our inspection 65 people were receiving personal care. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
All care support workers we spoke with told us they had time to spend with people and were able to build relationships with people and their carers. The service valued consistency and continuity by making sure care support workers were well matched with carers and the people they cared for.
People were consistently visited by the same care support worker and the minimum time for a visit was two hours a week, the amount of time spent depended on the needs of each person and their carer. People told us they knew who would visit them and when. A carer told us, “I know my son is safe because we have had the same carer (Care Support Worker) for 14 years, she is like a member of the family now, to me as well as my son.”
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Quality assurance arrangements were in place to seek feedback from staff, carers and the people they cared for about the service to make continuous improvements and respond to concerns.
Care support workers enabled people to maintain their independence as much as possible.
Staff were skilled and knowledgeable. They had received training that equipped them to fulfil their role and had opportunities to do further training to meet specific needs of people using the service. A relative told us, “The knowledge of the care support worker is outstanding, she can cope with any situation.”
People were provided with care and support that was centred on their needs, wishes and preferences. Personal support plans described people's needs, interests, hobbies and preferences. Care support workers knew people's personal history, interests and the relationships that were important to them. People and their relatives were involved in planning their care and making decisions.
Risks to people’s health and safety were assessed and managed. The majority of people managed their own health needs and medicine, either on their own or with the support of relatives. Despite this, where care support workers spotted changes in people's health or needs they were responsive in taking appropriate actions.
Care support workers told us they enjoyed their roles and found the work rewarding. A care support worker told us, “I love my job, love my clients and love helping the people. It’s very rewarding.” Safe recruitment practices ensured that suitable staff were safe to work in a social care setting.
People’s rights were protected, and staff respected people’s choices and diverse needs.
Staff supported people to have ready access to food and drink and supported people with food preparation where this was part of their personal support plan.
This service met the characteristics of Good. More information is in the ‘Detailed Findings’ below.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Why we inspected
This service was registered by CQC on 9 July 2018 after the registered provider of the service changed following a merger. Newly registered services are assessed to check they are likely to be safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
This was a planned comprehensive inspection that was scheduled to take place in line with Care Quality Commission (CQC) scheduling guidelines for adult social care services.
Follow up
We will review the service in line with our methodology for 'Good' services. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.