Archived: North Tyneside Carers Centre

Updated 22 April 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 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.

Due to the nature of the service this was an announced inspection which was carried out by an adult social care inspector over two days. We visited the offices of the service and the homes of people who used the service on 3 and 8 December 2014.

Before the inspection, the registered provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed any information we held about the service.

We contacted the local Healthwatch group, the local authority contracts team and the local authority safeguarding adults team. The local authority contracts team was complimentary about the service and their links with it.

We visited three people who used the service in their own homes to obtain their views on how care and support was delivered. We spoke with six members of staff employed by the service and were assisted with the inspection by the registered manager.

We observed how care and support was delivered by the staff team in people’s homes and reviewed records including, care plans, risk assessments and clinical correspondence. In addition we reviewed the quality assurance systems the registered provider had in place.

Updated 22 April 2015

We undertook an announced inspection at the North Tyneside Carers centre on 3 and 8 December 2014. We told the registered provider two days before our visit that we would be coming. This was due to the nature of the service and to ensure people who used the service and staff were available to assist us with the inspection.

A previous inspection undertaken on 3rd October 2013 found there were no breaches of legal requirements.

The service is registered to provide personal care and support to people within their own homes; some of whom have learning disabilities, mental health issues and/or a physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were five people using the service that received support and personal care. There were other people using the service who received a form of support that was not regulated, such as, companionship or assistance with food shopping.

The service had a registered manager in place who had been registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

People were safe and kept from harm. Staff demonstrated a good knowledge of what constituted abuse and how to safeguard vulnerable people. The staff we spoke with were aware of the providers policy regarding safeguarding people and whistleblowing.

People's dependency levels were assessed and there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were suitably qualified and experienced for their role. There were effective recruitment procedures in place and suitable checks were completed before staff started working at the service.

A system was in place that ensured people’s medicines were managed safely. Staff prompted people to take their medicines only. Policies and procedures were in place to provide staff with clear guidance in this area.

Social work or healthcare professionals completed assessments on people’s capacity before they began to use the service. Where people needed support to make decisions we saw meetings were held and decisions were only made within their best interest.

Staff received the correct training and support including supervision and appraisal.

Staff had a good personal knowledge of the people they cared for and we observed staff treated people with respect and dignity. Staff were encouraged to support people to make decisions for themselves whenever possible. The health and wellbeing of people was monitored and recorded in their care plans. Staff supported people to access appointments in the community with healthcare professionals such as, general practitioners.

Individual assessments were made of people’s needs and individual activity plans based on their needs, likes and dislikes were developed. There was a heavy emphasis on developing these activity plans for people and how they spent their time both at their own home and in the community.

The registered manager was proactive in monitoring the quality of care. Surveys were carried out for people who used the service. Audits were also carried out for areas such as health and safety, infection control and fire safety.

Individual one to one supervisions were held with staff and their personal and professional development was discussed. Regular staff meetings were held where views of the staff team were recorded. These staff meetings were held to ensure continuity of care and to gather staff opinions about how the service operated and the standard of care delivered. Staff told us they felt supported in their role and they were very positive about the relationship they had with the registered manager. Records were well maintained and stored securely.