26 September 2016
During a routine inspection
Interserve Healthcare – Sheffield is operated by Interserve Healthcare Limited. They provide a domiciliary care service that supports people with personal care and day to day living in the Sheffield area. The service currently provides care to six people who have complex care needs and require large packages of support, some of which are 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The service is also registered to provide nursing care but does not currently carryout this activity.
There was a registered manager in post. 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.
Care staff were confident about how to protect people from harm and knew what to do if they had any safeguarding concerns. We found that some safeguarding concerns which had been reported to the local authority had not been reported to the CQC as required. We have dealt with this issue separately. Although there were quality monitoring processes in place, the issue regarding failure to report to CQC had not been identified. We have made a recommendation about this.
The registered manager had good oversight of the service and was experienced in their role. The provider had a clear set of visions and values which were promoted within the organisation. There were systems in place to seek the views of people who used the service and their relatives.
Risks to people had been assessed and plans put in place to keep risks to a minimum. An ‘out of hours’ service was in place so that people could contact a member of staff when the office was closed. Medicines were managed safely and people were supported to take medicines as prescribed.
The provider had robust recruitment procedures to make sure staff had the required skills and were of suitable character and background. There were enough staff available to make sure people’s needs were met. The provider was constantly recruiting new staff in order to make sure that there was a suitable match between care staff and the people they supported.
People were cared for by competent staff. Staff were supported through training, regular supervisions and team meetings to help them carry out their roles effectively. There was an open and accessible management team.
The manager and staff were aware of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS are put in place to protect people where their freedom of movement is restricted. People were supported to consent to the care provided.
Care staff were caring and treated people with respect. Care plans were person centred and showed that individual preferences were taken into account. Care plans gave clear directions to staff about the support people required to have their needs met. People were supported to maintain their health and had access health services if needed.
People received support which was regularly reviewed and met their current needs. People who used the service and their relatives had opportunities to make comments about the service and how it could be improved. Any complaints were investigated and complainants were provided with a written response.