Archived: North West Initiatives Limited

This is a summary based on a visit to the service where we spoke with the manager, staff who called into the office, phone calls to staff and people who use the service. We looked at records and some of the staff records and care plans.

The full report contains evidence to support this summary.

Is the service safe?

When we spoke with people using the service they told us they felt safe. They told us they were confident in the skills of the staff and felt they could talk to them and raise any issues of concern. One person said, 'It is nice to be able to talk to people you can trust'.

During out visit we saw good examples of customer care. Staff answered queries on the phone politely and were supportive. When we spoke with staff they understood the importance of using care plans and reading them so that they were aware of what people needed and to make sure they provided care in a safe way.

Records seen provided evidence that staff had received appropriate training so that they had the skills and knowledge to provide care and support in a safe way.

Is the service effective?

All the people we spoke with told us they were happy with the quality and standard of care provided by staff. One person told us that they felt confident that they could raise an issues of concern and that this would be addressed by the member of staff.

Is the service caring?

We spoke with two people who told us that they really liked the staff and felt that they provided them with a good service. When we were in the offices of the agency we overheard staff talking about good practice issues and way in which they could improve their service delivery. The content of their conversation was caring and about ways in which they could find alternative ways of improving the quality of life for the people they provided care and support to. Care plans we looked at provided staff with detailed information on how to provide care and support to people in a safe way.

Is the service responsive?

We saw that people's needs were assessed before receiving a service to ensure that their needs could be met by the skill level of staff employed by the service. We saw that care plans were detailed and reviewed as and when appropriate. We saw recordings in care plans that evidence that when a new care need was identified the care plan was changed and when appropriate and referral was made to the appropriate healthcare professional.

Is the service well led?

The service had a registered manager in post that had the support of senior staff. All the staff we talked with spoke highly of the manager and said she was very pro-active and responded to their issues of concern or requests for further training and development There were auditing and monitoring systems in place.

At this inspection we found that staff training and development was not provided in line with organisational policies and procedures. There was little evidence to show that staff were clearly trained and supported in delivering the care required by people.

In November 2013 we found that people were not protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment. This was because inappropriate records were not maintained.

At this inspection we found that care records did not accurately reflect the changing needs of people. There was insufficient information recorded to guide staff in delivery of care and support. Identified hazards had not been adequately assessed to minimise risks so that people were kept safe. Staff training records were inadequate as evidence to verify completion of training had not always been obtained. Records were not stored securely ensuring that confidentiality was maintained.

One person, who received care, said 'They know what they've to do and they get on with it. They are usually on time and they don't let me down. They know what I like and don't like'.

We looked at the care records of four people using the service. We saw that in planning for delivery of care and support to people the provider carried out a number of risk assessments. This included assessment of any environmental hazards there may be to people using the service and staff.

The provider had a policy in place in relation to safeguarding vulnerable adults. This explained to staff the steps they should take if they discovered or suspected abuse in order to ensure the safety of the alleged victim and report their concerns to management.

The provider did not have arrangements in place for staff to receive a regular programme of training in the core subjects relevant to their role.

The provider had arrangements in place to regularly monitor and assess the quality of services provided. One person told us 'They ask us every now again if everything is Ok and we are happy with the service. I'm happy with them'.

The records maintained in relation to the care and treatment provided to people using the service, and the management of regulated activity were not always accurate.

We saw that people's needs were assessed and regularly reviewed to make sure they received appropriate care. We saw that medication records were up to date and staff we spoke with confirmed they received training and felt confident in supporting people with medication.

The Registered Manager monitored the quality of the service provided and we saw that complaints were recorded and responded to appropriately. People told us that any issues they had were responded too immediately.

We saw that the agency's recruitment procedures were robust and staff did not start work until all the appropriate checks were completed.