Bristol South Intermediate Care Service

Updated 15 June 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) 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 Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on 16 and 23 May 2019 and was announced.

Inspection team:

The team consisted of one inspector and two experts by experience (ExE). An ExE is someone who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. Both our ExE’s had direct experiences of care at home services.

Service and service type: This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the community.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that the manager would be in. We also need to be able to call people to find out their views of the service.

What we did:

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse; and we sought feedback from the local authority.

We assessed the information in the provider information return. This is key information providers are required to send us about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection, we spoke with 16 people who used the service, to ask about their experiences and four relatives

We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, community support staff and a senior manager.

Updated 15 June 2019

About the service: Bristol South Intermediate Care service is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. It is a multi-disciplinary service consisting of two teams that each provides rehabilitation or a reablement service to people living in their own homes. The client group changes frequently and the teams offer a short-term service over a five to ten day period.

At the time of the inspection the service was providing support to 40 people. The service was provided across the City of Bristol. The inspection took place on 16 and 23 May 2019 and was announced.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received care and support to meet their needs. Staff knew how to safeguard people from abuse and what they should do if they thought someone was at risk.

Independence was encouraged as well as positive risk taking. If an incident or accident did occur, they were well reported and investigated. Staff understood the need for learning from incidents, so they could make sure they did not occur again.

People felt staff were caring and always treated them with dignity and respect. The staff had a very good understanding of the care and support needs of people they supported. People said staff supported them with goal setting and working to achieve their goals. They also told us staff had enabled them to regain confidence to do things. Care was personalised to reflect people’s wishes and what was important for them.

There were sufficient numbers of staff employed to work in the service, so that people’s needs were met. People were safely supported with their medicines and general health needs.

The team of staff had received training to enable them to carry out their role effectively. They were also well supported by their management team to do their job.

People had good relationships with care staff who protected their rights to lead as normal a life as possible. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

Relatives told us they felt people were safe and well cared for in their home. Some people were unable to provide detailed verbal feedback but were able to indicate that they felt comfortable and at ease with staff. Everyone spoke positively about the service they received.

The registered manager had a complaints procedure which people were all aware of. The manager had an open-door policy which welcomed informal discussions and conversations whenever needed.

People benefited from a service that was well led. Staff knew there were a clear set of values in place which they put into practice. The registered manager completed quality checks, to make sure the standards of care were maintained. There was an open culture and staff said they felt well motivated and valued by all of the managers.

Rating at last inspection: The service was rated Good at the last inspection in November 2016. The name of the service has changed and its aims have been updated to reflect the services change in its key objectives since our last inspection.

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection, based upon the last rating.