15 January 2015
During a routine inspection
This inspection took place on 15 January 2015 and was announced. We gave the registered manager 48 hours’ notice of this inspection because the service is small and we needed to be sure they would be in. The previous inspection took place in January 2014. The provider had met the standards that were inspected.
The service has a registered manager who was supported by a care 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.
Nautilus Care is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care to retired seafarers and their dependants in their homes within the Mariners’ Park estate. Additional services such as escorted outings are also available. At the time of our inspection, 17 people used the service.
People told us they felt safe whilst being supported by the service. Relatives of people who used the service believed their relative was well cared for and was safe. People told us that staff were caring and were responsive to their needs. We found that people were involved in the planning of their care and had an opportunity to say what was important to them. Care plans were person centred and were written around the needs of people who used the service.
The provider had robust and effective recruitment processes in place so that people were supported by staff of a suitable character. Staffing numbers were sufficient to meet the needs of the people who used the service.
Medicines were managed safely and medication agreements had been drawn up and agreed with people who used the service.
People were supported by staff that had the required skills to promote their safety and welfare. Staff had received training around the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The provider had a continual training programme in place that was effectively monitored.
People were seen to eat together at the ‘HUB’ café. Nobody who used the service had been identified as being at risk of poor nutrition. However, plans were in place to source training for staff by spring 2015 in relation to this in case such risk emerged.
The registered manager was partnered with the National Activity Providers Association (NAPA) in order to deliver meaningful bespoke activities for people who used the service.
People who used the service and their relatives told us they had no complaints about the service. They told us they knew how to make a complaint and felt the manager was approachable.
The service was well managed. Systems were in place for checking on the quality of service provided. People spoke highly of the management team that was in place. The registered manager was continually trying to improve the service and had plans in place to demonstrate how they were going to do this.
Correct procedures had not always been followed when submitting notifications to the Commission. The registered manager did not follow due process in relation to changes to the services registration as legally required.