26 November 2015
During a routine inspection
This inspection took place on 26 November 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a small domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in the office. The service provided domiciliary care and support to people living in the Castle Donnington area and surrounding towns and villages. At the time of our inspection there were 20 people using the service.
The service had 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.
People told us they felt safe with the support workers who looked after them and their relatives agreed. Support workers knew what to look out for and the procedure to follow, if they felt that someone was at risk of harm.
Risks associated with people’s care and support had been assessed prior to their care package starting. This was so the support workers could provide care and support in the safest possible way.
There was a recruitment process in place though this was not always followed robustly. Suitable references for new staff had not always been obtained in a timely manner. The registered manager assured us that these would be obtained for all new staff in the future.
Support workers had been provided with an induction into the service and regular training was being completed. Support workers we spoke with felt supported by the registered manager and they told us there was always someone available to speak with should they need any help or advice.
People using the service and their relatives had been involved in deciding what care and support they needed and had been involved in the development of their plan of care.
People’s consent was obtained before their care and support was provided and support workers we spoke with understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).
Support workers were aware of what they could and couldn’t do with regards to medicines and only supported people with medicines that were included in their medication administration record.
People told us that the support workers who supported them were kind and caring. They told us that they always turned up and always stayed their allocated amount of time.
People using the service and their relatives knew what to do if they were unhappy with the service they received. They knew who to speak with and were confident that any concerns would be dealt with properly.
There were systems in place to monitor the quality of service being provided and people were asked for their opinion of the service on a regular basis.