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  • Homecare service

Archived: Mencap - Darlington

Unit 1D, Enterprise House, Valley Street North, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 1GY

Provided and run by:
Royal Mencap Society

All Inspections

11, 12, 20 December 2013

During a routine inspection

We visited four people who lived in a shared house and two people who lived in their own flat. We also talked with two relatives and with six staff. Everyone we spoke with had positive comments about the care service provided by Mencap Darlington.

People told us they felt involved and included in their care planning. There were suitable arrangements in place for obtaining the consent to care from people who used the service.

People told us they knew which staff would be supporting them and at what times. People's comments included, 'it's a good service', 'all the staff are very nice' and 'I choose what I want to do and staff help me do it'.

We saw staff were skilled at understanding people's individual needs, and helped them to lead active lifestyles. People felt there was enough staff to support people in the right way at the times they needed it.

The provider had effective systems for monitoring the quality and safety of the service. People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate support because records were kept up to date and were confidentially stored.

28 January 2013

During a routine inspection

People who use the service were very positive in their comments about the staff from Mencap. We spoke with three people during the course of the visit who lived in separate properties across Darlington and they said; "They serve me really well" and "I do believe now I've got the help from these it will be the start of a new beginning".

We saw that care plans had a person centred format, and they showed how people's views and preferences about their care had been recorded.

We found policies and procedures were available in the office and key policies were located in people's homes. Staff working in people's homes told us where they could locate them. We looked at staff recruitment and found that the organisation had a policy and procedure in place for making sure there were checks carried out on people applying to work at the service and people were involved in the recruitment of staff. Staff told us they felt supported by their managers and said 'We have good communication between the team and management'.

7 June 2011

During a routine inspection

In a survey carried out by Mencap in April 2011 people who used services said that they were supported in a way that was reliable and well managed. They said they saw the manager of their support on a regular basis and the supported living manager every month.

People who used services said they were given information and support to help them lead the lifestyle they choose. One person said they had been helped to get brochures so they could choose where to go for their holiday. They also said that they had been supported to Hospital appointments for their eyes to be tested and that staff had helped them to follow the instructions given to them by the Doctors. They said that they had been provided with extra support around the home to help to keep them safe. They also said that staff helped them to phone the housing provider to report any repairs to their home that needed doing.

In a survey carried out by Mencap in April 2011 relatives said that they were very happy with the services provided and said that staff were always helpful and that nothing was too much trouble for them. One relative said that their family member was always praising the staff and that they got the support they needed.

We visited six people who used services. People we talked to said that the staff helped them go shopping and go to the bank. One person showed us their care plan which included lots of photographs of the people and things important to them. They told us that they had helped staff to write their care plan. Another person told us that they liked Mencap staff.