Background to this inspection
Updated
11 May 2015
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014
This inspection took place on 10 April 2015 and was announced.
The provider was given 48 hours’ notice of the inspection because the service is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.
The inspection team consisted of two inspectors.
The manager sent us a list of people who used the service. We spoke by telephone to 12 people who used the service and two relatives. We also spoke with five care staff.
We visited the agency office and spoke with the manager and the quality and compliance manager. We looked at four people’s care records and three staff recruitment files. There were no records available to evidence that the provider monitored the quality and safety of the service.
Before the inspection, we did not ask the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. However, we looked at information we held about the service, for example, from notifications. We also contacted the local authority who commission services from the provider to find out their views of the service provided. Their views were consistent with what we found at this inspection.
Updated
11 May 2015
This inspection took place on the 10 April 2015.
Jark – Ipswich provides domiciliary, personal care support to people living in their own homes. On the day of our inspection there were 37 people receiving support from the service.
On the day of this inspection there was a manager in place who told us they were in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission. 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.
Although people told us they felt safe when being supported by the agency they did not feel safe when staff arrived late or when they missed their call and they went without support to meet their assessed needs.
Not all risks to people’s health, safety and welfare had been assessed and monitored. Staff had not been provided with the guidance they needed to protect people at risk. For example, those people at risk of limited mobility and environmental risks.
Staff had received training in medicines administration during their induction training. However, staff had not been provided with the full range of training as described within the provider’s statement of purpose. Staff had not been provided with training in safeguarding adults. The provider’s policies and guidance to staff did not give them the information they needed should they need to report any concerns to the relevant safeguarding authorities.
Care plans had not been fully completed. This meant that staff did not have the guidance they required to meet people’s health, welfare and safety needs.
The training staff received was limited and did not provide them with skills and knowledge they needed to support people with their assessed needs. Staff did not receive the training as specified within the provider’s statement of purpose.
Staff did not receive regular, planned and recorded supervision but did however receive annual appraisals.
Staff sought people’s consent when supporting them with administration of their medicines and when providing support with personal care.
Staff were positive regarding the support they received from their manager. They had a good relationship with them and were confident that any concerns they had would be addressed.
The provider did not have adequate systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and evidence action taken to measure and review the delivery of care against current guidance.
We found a number of breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we have told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.