Middlesbrough Community Reablement Service

Updated 24 September 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

An inspector and an Expert by Experience completed the inspection. 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

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 11 members of staff including the registered manager, a performance co-ordinator, a case manager and eight reablement officers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 24 September 2022

About the service

Middlesbrough Community Reablement Service supports people who have recently been discharged from hospital or a care home, or who have a health condition which is making it hard to cope at home. The team provides short-term support to help people learn, or re-learn, daily living skills.

At the time of our inspection there were 14 people using the service. 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.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and their relatives told us they were happy with the care and support they received from the service. One person told us, “Staff supervise me doing things myself. It has most definitely enabled me and had a positive impact. It was essential to me because I needed more to encourage me.”

A robust recruitment process was in place. The service ensured staff had the right training, skills and experience to support people safely.

The provider had systems in place to ensure people were protected from abuse and harm. Staff had completed safeguarding training. Individual and environmental risks were identified and reduced. Systems were in place to ensure people would continue to receive support in the event of an emergency.

People were treated with respect and dignity. People were involved in reviews of their care and support. The service supported people with their communication needs and offered information in a format they could understand.

Care plans were task orientated and lacked detail about how to support people in line with their preferences. Staff were responsive to changes in people’s needs. People and relatives told us they had no complaints about the service.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The provider had quality assurance processes to monitor the service provided. Information was gathered but was not always analysed to identify trends either positive or negative. The registered manager and staff team were passionate about ensuring people received the best care possible. The provider and registered manager had plans to improve and expand the service.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 25 March 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date the service was registered

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.