Archived: Charterville Care at Home Limited and Content Care Ltd

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in Witney and the surrounding areas. It provides a service to older adults some living with dementia, disabilities, sensory impairments and mental health needs. Not everyone using Charterville receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. On the day of the inspection the service was supporting 100 people.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated good:

The service continued to provide safe care to people. People told us they felt safe receiving care from Charterville. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and understood their responsibilities to identify and report any concerns. The provider had safe recruitment and selection processes in place, these included completing checks to make sure new staff were safe to work with vulnerable adults.

Staff demonstrated they understood how to keep people safe and records showed that risks to people's safety and well-being were managed through a risk management process. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people's needs. Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed.

People continued to receive effective care from staff who had the skills and knowledge to support them. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the procedures in the service supported this practice. People were supported to maintain good health. People were supported to meet their nutritional needs.

The service continued to provide support in a caring way. People benefited from caring relationships with staff who treated them with dignity and respect. People were involved in their care and supported to remain independent. The provider had processes in place to maintain confidentiality.

The service continued to be responsive. People received personalised care by staff who understood people's individual needs and preferences. People's changing needs were responded to appropriately. The service was flexible and supported people to attend social events and prevent social isolation. People knew how to complain and complaints were dealt with in line with the provider’s complaints policy.

At our last inspection of Charterville on 16 May 2016, we rated the service as requires improvement in well-led. At this inspection we found the service had improved to good in well-led because, people told us the service was well managed. People knew the management team and spoke positively about them. The service sought people's views and opinions and acted upon them. The registered manager and management team promoted a positive, transparent and open culture. Staff told us they worked well as a team.

The service had effective systems to assess the quality of care the service provided. Learning was identified and action taken to make improvements which improved people's safety and quality of life.

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.

Communication between people and office staff was not always effective. People felt information was not always passed on and this resulted in confusion and staff turning up when calls had been cancelled.

People who used the service felt safe. The staff had a clear understanding of how to safeguard people and protect them from harm. Staff had a good understanding of their responsibilities to report any suspected abuse. The service had sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet people’s needs. People and staff were confident they could raise any concerns and these would be dealt with. The provider had systems in place to manage and support safe administration of medicines.

People had a range of individualised risk assessments in place to keep them safe and to help them maintain their independence. Where required, staff involved a range of other professionals in people’s care.

People’s needs were assessed and care plans enabled staff to understand how to support people. Changes in people’s needs were identified through regular reviews. People's interests and preferences were discussed during assessments and these were used to plan their care. The service was flexible and responded positively to people’s requests.

The registered manager and staff understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The MCA provides a legal framework to assess people’s capacity to make certain decisions, at a certain time. People were asked for their consent before care was carried out.

People felt supported by competent staff. Staff benefitted from regular supervision (one to one meetings with their line manager) and yearly appraisals to reflect on their practice and develop their skills. Staff received training specific to people’s needs.

People and their relatives described the staff as good and providing very good care. People felt they were treated with kindness and their privacy and dignity were always respected. Staff had developed positive relationships with people.

The registered manager informed us of all notifiable incidents. The service had quality assurances in place. The registered manager had a clear plan to develop and improve the service. Staff spoke positively about the management and direction they had from the manager. The service had systems to enable people to provide feedback on the support they received.

The registered manager had a clear vision for the service which was shared throughout the staff team. The vision was promoting independence and allowing people to live a normal life. This was embedded within staff practices and evidenced through people’s care plans. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and the provider.

Leadership within the service was open and transparent at all levels. The provider had systems to enable people and their relatives to provide feedback on the support they received. The feedback was acted upon when required.