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Archived: Shared Care Services Limited

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

1st Floor 375 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, London, E17 9AP (020) 8520 9933

Provided and run by:
Shared Care Services Limited

All Inspections

15 January 2015 & 22 January 2015

During a routine inspection

The inspection took place on 15 January and 22 January 2015 and was announced. We gave the service short notice which meant the provider and staff did not know we were coming until shortly before we visited the service. At the last inspection, on 3 December 2013, we found the service met the regulations we inspected.

Shared Care Services Limited provides personal care services to people in their own homes. At the time of this inspection there were 36 people using the service, mainly children and young adults.

People who used the service were protected from the risk of harm or abuse because staff were knowledgeable about the process of safeguarding and whistleblowing. There were sufficient numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service. Risk assessments were done to identify and minimise the risks to people and to staff.

The service completed adequate recruitment checks before staff began working with people. Staff had the knowledge and skills required to support people with their care and support needs. They received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. Staff received regular supervisions and appraisals to ensure they continued to provide a good quality service and had the opportunity to develop their skills.

Staff knew the people they were supporting and provided a personalised service. People received consistency and continuity of care because staff worked with them for a long time. Care plans were in place detailing people’s needs and wishes. People consented to the care service provided and staff obtained consent before carrying out care tasks. People were supported to eat or drink or attend healthcare appointments if required.

The service had a system to deal with foreseeable emergencies. People told us the service responded in a timely manner to any queries, requests or concerns. People knew the process of making a complaint. Staff had received equality and diversity training and the service had a policy with guidelines.

At the time of our inspection the provider also acted in the role of the registered manager. 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.

The manager told us they had an “open door policy” and people, relatives and staff told us they could contact the manager at any time if they had concerns. The service had quality assurance systems to ensure they provided good quality care. There was a system to monitor and observe the quality of work the staff provided and the manager obtained verbal and written feedback from people and their families.

3 December 2013

During a routine inspection

We spoke to the relatives of four people who used the service. One said "the service is excellent and I was given lots of information and encouraged to ask questions." Another said, "staff communicate well, are approachable and inform me of any changes on a daily basis."

The registered manager told us that staff at the service followed the organisation's consent policy. We were shown the policy which was up to date and had been reviewed in 2013. This provided guidance to staff in relation to obtaining people's consent for delivering care.

The registered manager told us that when people made enquiries about the service they conducted an initial assessment of their needs. They told us that this was done to in order to ensure that the service was able to adequately meet the person's needs and care for them safely.

Staff told us that they were aware of Infection Control policies and had received training related to Infection Control. We were shown up to date records which confirmed staff had received training.

The relatives of people who used the service were very complimentary about the staff. One said "Staff are well trained. We are really happy with the service. Nothing is too much trouble for them."

We saw that reviews of people's needs were documented and found that the information recorded provided a detailed summary of each person, the care delivered and any measures taken by staff to ensure their health and safety.

19 February 2013

During a routine inspection

We spoke to relatives of people who use the service. The comments we received about the care and support provided were all favourable. We were told people were well looked after or supported and felt safe. We were told the staff were punctual, reliable and had the necessary skills to do the job.

Everybody we spoke with said they had been involved in the planning of their care, treatment and support and that this was regularly reviewed. We were told, the manager regularly contacts service users and their relatives to check that care was delivered in accordance with the care plan and that the care plan was meeting the needs of people who use the service. People told us they knew how to and would complain if they were unhappy with any aspect of the care planned or provided, but had not needed to do so.

We found there were procedures in place to minimise the risk of abuse and that staff were aware of their obligations in relation to safeguarding. We found that there were appropriate recruitment processes in place to ensure that staff had the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to do their job. We found the provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of care delivered and to obtain feedback from service users and their relatives.