Archived: Community Response Team Mid Hants

People’s experience of using this service

The management provided good leadership and were actively working to drive improvement. Feedback from people, staff and relatives confirmed the management were respected and led by example.

Staff told us that they felt their achievements were recognised and that they felt valued. Staff had a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. We observed staff were confident in performing their jobs and when speaking with people, other staff and the registered manager.

People, their families and professionals told us they felt the service was safe. Staff had received safeguarding training and had their competency in this subject checked. They were aware of the types of abuse that could happen to people, what signs to look out for and their responsibilities for reporting any concerns.

The registered manager had a good understanding of their responsibilities to notify the CQC of important events that happened within the service. People and their families had been given information so that they knew what to expect from the service.

People who required assistance with their medicines were supported by appropriately skilled and qualified staff. They had received training and competency checks and had a good understanding of the risks associated with the medicine people were taking.

Staff received appropriate induction into their role and learning opportunities were made available.

Staff said they felt supported in their role. They told us they received regular supervision and had a yearly appraisal.

Staffing levels met the needs of the people using the service. Staff had been recruited safely.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People had good access to healthcare services.

People, their families and other professionals had been involved in an assessment before the service provided any support. The assessment had been used to create care and support plans that addressed people’s individual identified needs. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the actions they needed to take to support people.

A complaints procedure was in place and people told us they were confident that concerns would be dealt with appropriately by management.

Staff were supported and encouraged to share ideas about how the service could be improved and had been pro-active in supporting changes. They spoke enthusiastically about the positive teamwork and support they received.

The provider had good systems in place to support staff to learn lessons and implement change.

Rating at last inspection: We previously inspected the location on 18 and 19 January 2017 and rated the service good.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

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

The service has a 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.

We received a lot of positive feedback about the service, the managers and the staff. People and their relatives felt the agency supported them in a kind and caring manner to meet their needs.

People and their relatives were involved in the care they received, which was personalised to their individual needs.

Staff understood how to identify, report and manage any concerns related to people’s safety and welfare. There were systems and processes in place to protect people from harm, including how medicines were managed.

Safe recruitment practices were followed and appropriate checks had been undertaken, which made sure only suitable staff were employed to provide care for people. There were sufficient numbers of experienced staff deployed to meet people’s needs.

Staff were supported to provide appropriate care to people because they were trained and supervised. There was an induction, training and development programme, which supported staff to gain relevant knowledge and skills.

Staff assisted people to obtain advice and support from other health professionals to maintain and improve their health or when their needs changed.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and staff listened to what they said. Systems were in place to help ensure any concerns or complaints were responded to appropriately.

There was an open and inclusive culture within the service and the registered manager provided leadership to the staff team.

People's comments about the service were overall very positive and expressed a high level of satisfaction with the care they received. One person told us the agency 'choose well when they choose their staff'. Another commented on the 'efficiency, care, humour, punctuality and professionalism' of the staff. One person remarked that the care workers who assisted them to take a bath 'didn't make me feel uncomfortable at all'. Another told us: 'All the staff that call are a fine bunch. One follows on from another and it's the same care. Everyone reads the care plan'. Another person said that all of their care workers had 'without exception been really good. I can't speak highly enough of the quality of care'.These comments reflected the overall feedback we received from people using the service.