Archived: Rendezvous

Rendezvous is a domiciliary care provider. At the time of inspection, they were providing personal care support to one person.

Not everyone using Rendezvous receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service:

The person received a consistently good service. They told us that they felt very safe and that the staff looked after them well. “They make sure I am all right, they look after me and make sure I am well.”

The person received kind and compassionate care from staff who knew them well. Staff were described as “really kind”. The person told us that they felt listened to and really appreciated that time that staff spent with them.

Staff knew what action to take to keep the person safe and who to contact if they had any concerns.

The person received personalised care that was responsive to their needs and ensured they had maximum choice and control over their life.

Staff provided support to maintain the persons health and to access health care services when they needed them.

The service was well led by a dedicated provider who demonstrated compassion and commitment to the person who was receiving a service and the staff who worked for them.

Rating at last inspection:

Good (12 August 2016)

Why we inspected:

We inspected the service as part of our inspection schedule methodology for ‘Good’ rated services.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the intelligence we receive about this home and plan to inspect in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated Good. The current service is supporting one person with a regulated activity, if the service grows during this time we may inspect sooner to ensure the service can support more people.

The provider was also the manager and was registered with the Care Quality Commission and had a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated regulations about how the service is run.

The person said they felt safe with the staff. There were policies and procedures regarding the safeguarding of adults. Staff were aware of the correct procedures to follow if they considered someone was being neglected or poorly treated.

There was a reliable service from regular staff. There were sufficient numbers of suitably experienced staff employed to meet individual needs. Thorough recruitment processes were in place for newly appointed staff to check they were suitable to work with people who may be at risk.

There was a policy and procedure in place with regard to medicine administration and this was understood by staff. No one was currently receiving support with their medicines.

The person being supported had a care plan which gave guidance to staff on how support should be given. Risks were assessed and recorded and these included environmental assessments so staff knew any risks and what they should do to keep the person and themselves safe.

There was suitable training, support and induction for staff so they could support people effectively. Staff told us they received regular training and that they had a good induction before they started to provide support to people.

Staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act (MCA)) 2005 and associated legislation. Staff knew what action to take if they thought a person lacked capacity to consent.

Staff monitored the person’s health and they supported people to access healthcare professionals when needed.

Staff were kind and caring. People were able to express their views and said they were encouraged to be independent as possible. They confirmed they were treated with dignity and respect and said their needs were regularly reviewed and they were contacted on a regular basis to ensure that their current up to date needs were being met. A complaints procedure was in place that enabled concerns to be raised.

The provider had a policy and procedure for quality assurance. The provider carried out checks to help to monitor the quality of the service provided. Quality assurance surveys were sent out every six months to people to seek their views on the service provided by the agency.

The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector. On the day of our visit there were seven people being supported by the agency. We carried out telephone interviews with three people who receive a service and spoke with the provider/manager, to one staff member and a mental health professional involved in people's care.We looked at documents including three assessments, three support plans and management reports. We considered how the service met key outcomes including delivering people's care, keeping people safe from risk of abuse, supporting staff and monitoring the quality of care provision.

We considered our inspection findings to answer the questions we always ask:

Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service well-led?

Below is a summary of what we found. If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

People told us that they were always treated with dignity and respect. They told us that they felt safe, secure and well supported. Comments included, 'They (staff) come to see me every day, they help me and always treat me with respect, I am very happy. They have never missed a visit.'

Is the service effective?

People's physical and mental healthcare needs were kept under regular review. People were involved in their assessment process and in planning their care. One person told us, 'I have been helped by them (the agency) for 19 years and my whole life has changed because of them. I can live in my own flat and they help me with whatever I need'.

Is the service caring?

People that use the service told us they were well cared for and that staff were kind and helpful. Comments included, 'They (staff) come in to me twice a day, they check I have taken my medication and help me with whatever I need. They are really nice people and help me a lot.'

Is the service responsive?

People that use the service told us they could call the agency at any time for support and advice. We saw that there were guidelines in place to assist staff to recognise if people were becoming unwell. A mental health professional told us, 'The staff are very good at identifying if there is any sign of a relapse or of people being stressed. They contact the GP or the mental health team and support people very well.'

Is the service well led?

There were systems in place to audit the quality of service provided and to monitor the safety of the environment. Staff we spoke with said they felt well supported by the manager. Staff were issued with protective clothing and there was a system in place to identify risks and monitor their safety.

One person said, "They are great, they do a really good job and keep me well".

Another person said, "I am very happy with the support I have. There are no issues I am alright".

We spoke with a staff member. They told us that they felt supported to carry out their work. They had a good knowledge of the people they supported and understood the importance of treating people as individuals and ensuring they were fully involved in planning their care.

We found that the provider had responded to concerns raised at our last inspection and put a programme of training in place to ensure people are supported effectively. We found that people were supported to make informed decisions about their support and could raise concerns if they needed to. The provider's recruitment practices kept people safe.

One person said, " I have been supported through some tough times by them, they are like a family to me.I know that someone is on the other end of the telephone if I need to talk about anything."

Another person said, "They always respect my wishes, they are flexible with visits so I can see them at a time that suits me"

We spoke with the only staff member currently employed by the provider. They told us that they felt supported to carry out their work. They had a good knowledge of the people they supported and understood the importance of treating people as individuals and maintaining their dignity and respect.