Archived: Sensiway Care Services

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and nutrition. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The provider had not completed recent training or refresher training on mandatory courses which was essential for them to be able to carry out their roles. Competency assessments had not been carried out and therefore there was no reassurance that the provider was competent to deliver some aspects of care.

The provider had not ensured that safe recruitment, governance and quality assurance procedures had been fully established. We saw no evidence that a person’s identity had been checked or proof of address.

Medicines were not being administered at the time of our inspection but there was no provision for medication training or competency checks. This posed a risk to people using the service, who may need support to manage medicines in the future.

There was a procedure to record, monitor and investigate any accidents/incidents which may occur, none had occurred at the time of our inspection.

The provider knew people well and worked with them and their family to develop care plans. Relatives told us that the provider was very professional and listened to people about how they would like care provided.

Relatives told us that they felt the service was safe and that the provider was caring.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last inspection was 14 May 2017 and the service was rated good.

Why we inspected

This was as planned inspection based on previous rating. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

This was our first inspection of this service since they registered with us.

Sensiway Care Services is registered to provide personal care. The registered location is situated in Derby and provides care to people who live in their own homes in and around Derby. There were three people using this service at the time of our inspection, some of whom lived with complex health conditions.

The service had a registered manager who was also the registered provider. 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 were kept safe from the risk of harm. The person we spoke with and relatives told us they felt safe with the registered manager. The registered manager described how they would keep people protected from potential harm and knew how to report allegations of poor practice.

The service had effective systems in place to assess and minimise risks to people. Risk management plans required further detail to ensure current risks people faced were underpinned by up to date written guidelines. People were supported to take their medicines safely.

The registered manager was the only member of staff working in the service. They had undertaken a range of training to give them the skills and knowledge to ensure people were supported in line with their care needs and best practice. The registered manager was knowledgeable of and acted in line with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People and relatives confirmed they had consented to their care and this was confirmed in people's care plans.

One person who required assistance with their meals spoke positively about the food that was prepared for them. The registered manager worked with relatives and other health professionals to ensure people maintained their health and well-being.

Positive and complimentary comments were received from relatives and one person about the registered manager who supported them. People and relatives were supported to make decisions about how they wanted their care provided. The registered manager was knowledgeable about people's preferences and choices and was respectful of people and their relatives. One person and relatives told us the registered manager maintained people's privacy and dignity whilst supporting them to remain as independent as possible.

The registered manager took time to develop relationships with people they were supporting in order to provide care that was personalised. Care plans detailed individual needs and wishes which helped to ensure care was provided in the way people preferred. The registered manager was responsive to people's needs and changing views. People and relatives felt confident to raise concerns or complaints if they needed to and felt these would be listened to and resolved.

Everyone we spoke with gave consistently positive feedback about the leadership and management of the service. People were happy with the quality of the service that was provided to them by a consistent staff member. The registered manager provided opportunities for people and their relatives to share their views on the care provided.

The registered manager had developed positive relationships with people and their relatives and as a result the formal and recorded checks that were being undertaken were minimal. Further developing checks and audits would give the registered manager even greater assurance about the quality of the service being provided.