Background to this inspection
Updated
17 May 2016
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 visit took place on 11 April 2016 and was announced. The provider was given seven days’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we wanted to make sure staff were available to speak with us. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
We checked the information we held about the service and the provider. This included notifications that the provider had sent to us about incidents at the service and information we had received from the public. We also spoke with the local authority who provided us with current monitoring information. We used this information to formulate our inspection plan.
The provider completed 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.
We used a range of different methods to help us understand people’s experiences. We visited three people in their homes and made telephone calls to two relatives. We sent out questionnaires to people who used the service and used this information to make a judgement about the service.
We spoke with five staff, the registered manager and the regional manager. We looked at care records for four people to see if their records were accurate and up to date. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service including quality checks
Updated
17 May 2016
We inspected this service on 11 April 2016. This was an announced inspection and we telephoned the week prior to our inspection in order to arrange home visits and telephone interviews with people. The service provides care in people’s homes to people with a learning disability or older people and people with debilitating illness and long term conditions. The service is available in the Erewash, Amber Valley and South Derbyshire area. At the time of the inspection 23 people were being supported by the service, some of these people lived in supported accommodation with other people. This was the first inspection for this service.
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.
People told us that they felt safe. Staff had a good knowledge of current safeguarding practice and how to apply this knowledge to their role of supporting people in the service. Risks to people had been identified and minimised wherever possible. We saw that there were sufficient staff available to meet people’s requests for support. People were able to state when they wanted to receive support from staff who understood the need to work flexibly.
People were supported to make choices and where they may lack the capacity to make specific decisions appropriate support was given. We saw that medicines were managed safely. Staff had access to information about the specific support people needed with their medicines.
People told us they felt cared for. Care was planned with each person and people were able to state what support they wanted. The service had supported people to be as independent as possible in all aspects of their lives. When necessary specialist equipment was sourced and used to support
the person to live independently whilst still remaining safe. People had been supported with planning their meals.
Staff felt valued and supported in their role and had the opportunity to feedback or make contributions to the service. Staff told us they had sufficient training to carry out their role effectively.
People and their relatives were aware of how to raise concerns or make complaints. We saw that where complaints had been received appropriate action had been taken to resolve the complaint.
There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service which included seeking feedback from the people who used the service. People who used the service were encouraged to the part of the organisation through board meeting, recruitment or their internal magazine.
The provider and registered manager had plans to improve the quality of the service to make it more effective for the people accessing support and for the staff team.