We undertook an announced inspection on 20 January 2016. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our intention to undertake an inspection. This was because the organisation provides a domiciliary care service to people in their homes and or the family home; we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the office. The provider registered this service with us to provide personal care and support for people with a range of varying needs including dementia, who live in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 35 people received support with personal care.
There was a registered manager for this service. A registered provider is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered providers and registered managers 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 and their relatives said that staff and the management team met their support needs. They told us staff were knowledgeable and caring and treated them with dignity and respect. People we spoke with said that staff listened to them and were adaptable to their needs. People were supported to eat and drink well when this was identified as part of their care planning. Relatives we spoke with told us they felt included and listened to by the staff and the management team. People and their relatives said staff would support them with access health professionals when needed.
Staff we spoke with could explain the different types of abuse. The registered manager ensured there were systems in place to guide staff in reporting any concerns. Staff were knowledgeable about how to manage people’s individual risks, and were able to respond to peoples’ needs. People were supported to receive their medicines by staff that were trained and knowledgeable about the risks associated with them. Staff knew people well, and took people’s preferences into account and respected them. The management team were adaptable to changes in peoples’ needs and communicated changes to staff effectively.
Staff had the knowledge and training to support people. Staff were knowledgeable about ensuring people agreed to the support they received. They worked within the confines of the law to ensure they did not treat people unlawfully. There were no applications to the court of protection to deprive people of their liberty.
People and their relatives knew how to raise complaints. We saw the registered manager had arrangements in place to ensure people were listened to and action taken if required. Staff were supported by regular one to ones which enabled them to share their views and concerns about the people who used the service.
The management team monitored the quality of the service. The registered manager had identified concerns and had actioned them in a timely way. The management team asked for regular feedback from people who used the service and used this to plan improvements to the quality of the service people received.