Background to this inspection
Updated
19 November 2016
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 was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
This announced inspection was carried out on Friday 28th October 2016. The inspection was announced to ensure our inspection could be facilitated on that day by the registered manager. The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Before the inspection we reviewed any information we held about the service in the form of notifications received from the service. We also reviewed any safeguarding or whistleblowing information we had received, previous inspection reports and any complaints about the service. This helped us determine if there might be any specific areas to focus on during the inspection, based on information we had received.
At the time of the inspection the service provided care and support to seven people with personal care within their own homes, predominantly in the Sale, Urmston and Stretford areas of Manchester. As part of the inspection we spoke with the registered manager, two members of staff, two people who used the service and three relatives. This was to seek feedback about the service provided from a range of different people and help inform our inspection judgements.
We attempted to contact Trafford Council quality assurance team in advance of our inspection, but did not receive a response prior to undertaking our visit.
We also viewed three care plans, three staff personnel files, three supervision/observation records, policies and procedures and other documentation relating to the running of the service, such as satisfaction surveys, to help inform our judgements.
Updated
19 November 2016
This announced inspection was undertaken on Friday 28 October 2016. The inspection was announced to ensure it could be facilitated on that day by the registered manager. We last inspected Red House Care Team in December 2013, where the service was judged to be meeting the standards assessed at that time.
Redhouse Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. The service also provides assistance with domestic tasks such as cleaning and shopping. The agency is based in Sale, south Manchester. The service provides care to people who require assistance with tasks such as bathing or having a shower. At the time of our inspection the service provided care and support to seven people with personal care, whilst also employing three members of staff.
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.
The people we spoke with told us they felt safe. The staff we spoke with had a good understanding about safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures and told us they wouldn’t hesitate to report concerns.
At the time our inspection, the service did not provide care and support to people with regards to the administration of medication. The manager said they didn’t accept care packages if this was something people needed assistance with. As such, this area was not covered during the inspection.
We found there were sufficient staff to care for people safely. Staff spoken with didn’t raise any concerns about staffing numbers, with people who used the service telling us staff always turned up on time.
We saw staff were recruited safely, with appropriate checks undertaken before they began working with vulnerable adults. This included ensuring DBS/CRB (Disclosure Barring Service/Criminal Records Bureau) checks were undertaken and references from previous employers sought.
The staff we spoke with told us they had access to sufficient training and received supervision as part of their ongoing development. The registered manager was a ‘Train the trainer’ and a registered nurse and regularly disseminated their skills and knowledge to staff.
At the time our inspection, the service did not provide care and support to people with regards to nutrition and hydration intake, with people telling us this was something they could manage themselves. As such, this area was not required to be considered during the inspection.
The people we spoke with told us they were happy with the care provided by the service. People told us staff treated them with dignity and respect and promoted their independence as much as possible.
Each person who used the service had a care plan in place and we saw a copy was kept in the person’s home and at the office. The care plans provided an overview of each person’s care needs and were updated when things changed. The people we spoke with also said an initial assessment was undertaken, when they first started using the service.
The service sent satisfaction questionnaires to people, asking for their comments about the service. This enabled the service to continually improve based on feedback from people and anything that could be changed.
There was a complaint procedure in place, although the manager told us there had been no complaints made about the service. The people we spoke with were aware of how to make a complaint where necessary.
People who used the service and staff told us they felt the service was well managed. Staff told us they felt well supported and would feel comfortable raising and discussing concerns.
We saw there were systems in place to monitor the quality of service provided. This was done in the form of spot checks and observations of staff undertaking their work. Staff also had access to policies and procedures if they needed to seek guidance in a particular area.