Archived: Sandwell Care Services

Sandwell Care Services is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, 49 people were receiving care and support services.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe and staff knew how to protect people from the risk of harm or abuse. People’s risks were assessed, monitored and managed. People were supported by enough that had been safely recruited. Medicines were given as prescribed. Staff had access to personal protective equipment. Accidents and incidents were monitored and reviewed. The registered manager informed us as require doing so by law.

People were cared for by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs, Staff understood their role and felt supported by the management team. Staff sought people’s consent before care was provided. People were supported to access healthcare agencies when required.

People told us staff were kind in their approach. People told us their dignity and privacy was maintained and they were involved in the planning and review of their care.

People received care that was responsive to their needs. Care records were reflective and up to date. The provider had a complaints process in place which people were aware of and knew how to access.

The provider had quality auditing and monitoring systems in place which included competency checks on staff practice. People and staff said the provider and management team were approachable and the culture of the organisation open and friendly.

Rating at last inspection: At our last inspection in December 2016 we rated the service as good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risk or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service had not changed since the last inspection.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Sandwell Care Services are registered to deliver personal care to people within their own homes. They provide support to younger and older adults, people with learning disabilities, mental health conditions or dementia and people with physical disabilities. At the time of our inspection 29 people were accessing the service.

The service had 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.

Staff supported people in a way that made them feel safe. Staff understood the procedures they should follow if they witnessed or suspected that a person was being abused or harmed. Criminal records checks were undertaken before staff were able to begin their role. People were supported to take their medication at the appropriate times.

Staff had the skills and knowledge required to support people effectively. Staff received a detailed induction prior to them working for the service and they felt prepared to do their job. Staff could access on-going training and regular supervision to assist them in their role. Staff knew how to support people in line with the Mental Capacity Act and gained their consent before assisting or supporting them. Staff assisted people to access food and drink.

People were involved in making their own decisions about their care and their own specific needs. People felt listened to, had the information they needed and were consulted about their care. Staff provided dignity and respect to people. People were encouraged to retain a high level of independence with staff there ready to support them if they needed help.

People’s preferences for how they wished to receive support were known and always considered by the staff. Staff understood people’s needs and provided specific care that met their preferences. People knew how to raise complaints or concerns and felt that they would be listened to and the appropriate action would be taken.

People were happy with the service they received and felt the service was led in an appropriate way. Staff were well supported in their roles. Staff felt that their views or opinions were listened to. Quality assurance audits were not always carried out comprehensively, however clear plans were in place to improve upon this.