This inspection took place on 28 July 2016 and 1 August 2016 and was announced. The Short Term Assessment and Reablement Team (START) provides short-term care and therapy, to assist people to maximise their level of ability and independence in their own homes. Services include supporting people to manage their personal care and other daily tasks such as meal preparation, advice on food and hydration and referrals to other services as needed. The local authority is the provider and the service is situated in the Civic Offices in Sutton.
At the time of the inspection, there was 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.
The service was flexible as the number of people receiving care varied over time. This was due to unpredictable levels of referrals from hospitals, GPs and other community healthcare professionals. The service worked in conjunction with the local NHS Trust to ensure that reablement and rehabilitation was fully implemented into people's care packages. This joint working enabled people to regain their independence as much as and as quickly as possible.
The Short Term Assessment and Reablement Team used a comprehensive assessment and care planning process which ensured that people's care was detailed and based on all their needs. Staff we talked with were professional and caring. People told us they thought the care provided was consistently positive. There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs at all times and the service incorporated a robust method of determining correct staff deployment. People's medicines were administered, stored and documented appropriately and people were encouraged to self-administer their own medicines.
Staff had the skills and experience to ensure people received effective care and support. Staff received some supervision and following the inspection the registered manager put in place measures to ensure staff received more regular and formal support in the future. Staff completed regular training in areas relevant to their work.
Staff demonstrated a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and put them into practice to protect people.
People were supported with food and fluids and to maintain good health.
Staff provided a professional service which was kind, caring and respectful. People's dignity and privacy were protected and people were fully involved in their care and support to help increase their independence as much as possible.
People's needs were regularly assessed and they were involved in the assessment of their needs. Care plans were personalised and updated regularly as and when people's needs changed. People's views were always taken into account and they consented to their care.
People did not have any complaints about the service but knew how to complain if they had any concerns.
All of the people, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals we spoke with as part of the inspection commented that the service was well-led. They felt that the managers took time to listen and would take action to make improvements when needed. People felt that management were approachable and had a visible presence in the operation of the service.
We found that the registered manager conducted a range of checks to assess the standard of care. This included “spot checks” and satisfaction surveys where people rated the service positively.