Background to this inspection
Updated
11 July 2017
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.
The inspection team consisted of an inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The inspection was announced in line with our methodology for inspecting domiciliary care agencies. This allowed the provider time to arrange for staff to be at the office to speak to us. The expert by experience contact people using the service by telephone on 22 and 23 May 2017 and the inspector visited the office on 24 May 2017.
Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included any incidents the provider was required to tell us about by law and concerns that had been raised with us by the public or health professionals who visited the service. We also reviewed information sent to us by the local authority who commissioned all the care provided by the service. Before the inspection, 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.
During the inspection we spoke with 15 people who used the service and three family members of people who use the service. We spoke with seven care workers and five people who worked in the office. We also spoke with the registered manager.
We looked at six care plans and other records which recorded the care people received. In addition, we examined records relating to how the service was run including staffing, training and quality assurance.
Updated
11 July 2017
The inspection took place on 22, 23 and 24 May 2017 and was announced.
The service provides care for people who live in Lincolnshire and who need support to regain their independence when they leave hospital. They are contracted to provide care over a four week period to support people with their care needs and their ability to access the community. There were 256 people using the service on the day we inspected. The service is not provided at set times or for set durations but is provided flexibly to reduce as people regain their abilities to live independently.
There was a registered manager for the service. 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 provider had effective systems in place to monitor the workload of care workers and to enable them to provide flexible responsive care for people. Office staff were able to identify when there was capacity to provide care for people new to the service. Staff were provided with training and support which enabled them to provide safe care and to maximise people’s independence. Staff knew how to keep people safe from abuse and knew how to raise concerns.
The care was tailored towards supporting people to regain their independence in all areas of their lives. Care workers ensured that the equipment and support was in place so that people could remain independent after the service was withdrawn. People received the support needed to manage their medicines and to access food and drink. People were encouraged to continue the social activities they enjoyed before they were ill.
While the care provided was for a defined period of time the provider had systems in place to ensure that people were not left unsupported. Staff engaged with the local authority and other care agencies to arrange for ongoing support to be put in place.
Care workers were kind, caring and polite. They supported people to become and remain independent and ensured that people’s dignity was respected while they were receiving care. Care workers had received training in the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and encouraged people to make their own decisions about the care they received and about their lives.
People had their views of the service they received gathered and the registered manager took action to respond to any concerns or complaints. The provider had structured the service and staff to manage the flexible and responsive service so that people received a high quality of care. They had invested in systems which supported their staff to deliver the care people needed. The registered manager had access to effective monitoring systems which allowed them to identify issues and make changes ensure people received a service which met their needs.