Archived: NAS Community Services (Godalming)

This inspection took place on 10 & 15 November 2016 and was announced. The service was last inspected in November 2013 and was found to be meeting all the regulations we reviewed at that time.

NAS Community Services (Godalming) is registered to provide Personal Care services to people with learning disabilities and autism. The services they provide include personal care, housework and assistance with medicines. At the time of this inspection the service was supporting three people with learning disabilities, living in supported accommodation.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 200 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.’

People told us they felt safe with the support they received from staff. There were arrangements in place to help safeguard people from the risk of abuse. The provider had appropriate policies and procedures in place to inform people who used the service and staff how to report potential or suspected abuse. Staff understood what constituted abuse and were aware of the steps to take to protect people.

People had risk assessments and risk management plans to reduce the likelihood of harm. The provider ensured there were safe recruitment procedures in place to help protect people from the risks of being cared for by staff assessed to be unfit or unsuitable.

Care workers told us and we saw from their records that they had received training in relevant areas of their work. This training enabled staff to support people effectively.

Care workers understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People told us and we saw from their records they were involved in making decisions about their care and support and their consent was sought and documented.

People were supported to eat and drink in a safe manner. Their support plans included an assessment of their nutrition and hydration needs. People told us they chose what they ate and staff supported them with meals.

People told us they were treated with dignity and respect. Care workers understood the need to protect people’s privacy and dignity. People told us staff knocked on their doors before they entered. their homes.

The service encouraged people to raise any concerns. We saw there had not been any recent complaints.

Care workers gave positive feedback about the management of the service. The registered manager was approachable and fully engaged with providing good quality care for people who used the service. They encouraged a positive and open culture by being supportive to staff and by making themselves approachable with a clear sense of direction for the service.

The service had systems in place to continually monitor the quality of the service and people were asked for their opinions and action plans were developed where required to address areas for improvements.

People were aware that information about them had been transferred to other care providers when necessary.

We found people expressed their views and were involved in making decisions about their care, treatment and support. They experienced effective, safe and appropriate care from staff who had been suitably selected to perform their duties. People received their medicines at the times they needed them from staff qualified and skilled to do so. Suitable precautions were in place to protect people and staff from cross infection of health care associated infections.

People told us the manager made regular telephone contact with them to ask how things were going. Also the manager visited unannounced to observe and work with the support worker. People told us they had a good working relationship with their support workers and manager.

One person told us, 'For five days of the week I have a cooked lunch at the day centre and on weekends I am supported with my meal choices by my support worker'. Another person said, 'I like to eat out on a Saturday because I spend the day out of the house'. People told us they mostly had their evening meal at home unless they had decided to eat out.

We saw documented evidence which indicated staff had documented when people refused their medicine and what actions staff took as a result.

The people whom we spoke with told us they had never had to make a complaint. We observed the service had a complaints book in place. We observed their complaints guidelines was displayed on the notice board in both English and Makaton symbols.