25 August 2015
During a routine inspection
We inspected this service on 25 August 2015. The inspection was announced. The service delivers personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 22 people were receiving the service.
There was a registered manager in post. 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 told us they felt safe with all of their care staff. The provider had taken measures to minimise risks to people’s safety. Staff were trained in safeguarding and understood the action they should take if they had any concerns that people were at risk of harm. The registered manager checked staff’s suitability to deliver personal care in people’s own homes during the recruitment process.
People’s care plans included risk assessments for their health and wellbeing and explained the actions staff should take to minimise the identified risks. Staff understood people’s needs and abilities by reading care plans and shadowing experienced staff when they started working for the service.
The registered manager assessed risks in each individual person’s home and advised staff of the actions they should take to minimise the risks. The provider’s medicines policy included training staff and checking that people received their medicines as prescribed, to ensure people’s medicines were administered safely.
Staff received training and support that enabled them to meet people’s needs effectively. Staff had opportunities to reflect on and improve their practice and to consider their own career development.
The manager understood their responsibility to comply with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Records showed that people, their families and other health professionals were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Staff understood they could only care for and support people who consented to being cared for.
Staff referred people to other health professionals for advice and support when their health needs changed and supported people to follow the health professionals’ advice.
The provider asked people about their preferences for care during their initial assessment of needs. Staff supported the same people regularly so they learnt about people’s like dislikes and preferences for care. The registered manager regularly delivered care and support, so they maintained an ongoing relationship with each person.
People told us their care staff were kind and respected their privacy, dignity and independence and said their care staff felt like their friends.
People knew any concerns would be listened to and action taken to resolve any issues. Records showed the provider learnt from complaints and adopted policies to minimise the risk of similar complaints in the future.
People were encouraged to share their opinions about the quality of the service during visits by the registered manager and team leader, at regular reviews of their care plans and through formal surveys.
The staff and management team shared common values about the aims and objectives of the service. People were supported and encouraged to live as independently as possible, according to their needs and abilities.
The provider’s quality monitoring system included regular checks of people’s care plans and staff’s practice. When issues were identified the provider took action to improve the quality of the service.