Archived: Blake House

Updated 28 June 2016

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 registered provider was 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.

We inspected this service on 11 May 2016. The inspection was announced. The registered provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in the location offices when we visited. The inspection was completed by one Adult Social Care Inspector.

Before our visit we looked at information we held about the service. We also asked the local authority’s safeguarding and commissioning teams if they had any relevant information about the service. We did not ask the registered provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

As part of the inspection we spoke with two people who used the service. We spoke with the registered manager and two care workers. We looked at two people’s care records, two care worker’s recruitment and training files and a selection of records used to monitor the quality of the service.

Updated 28 June 2016

We inspected this service on 11 May 2016. The inspection was announced. The registered provider was given 48 hours’ notice, because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in the location offices when we visited.

Blake House is a small domiciliary care service providing support and personal care to people living in their own homes. The location office is situated in the centre of York. At the time of our inspection there were four people using the service. The service was registered to provide support to older people and younger adults.

This was our first inspection of this service after it was registered as a new location in December 2015.

During the inspection we found that there was a system in place to support care workers to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns.

People’s needs were assessed and risks identified. We spoke with the registered manager about developing more detailed person centred risk assessments to support and guide staff on how best to meet that person’s needs. People using the service consistently told us that they felt safe with the care and support provided.

People using the service told us that care workers did not miss visits; the registered manager was in the process of recruiting more care workers.

People received support to take prescribed medications. Gaps in recording on medication administration records had been addressed by the registered manager.

Care workers had an induction, received training and attended supervision to support them to provide effective care and support.

People using the service were supported to eat and drink enough and access healthcare services if necessary.

We received positive feedback about the kind and caring attitude of care workers. People told us that they were supported to make decisions and be in control of the care and support provided.

People using the service told us care workers supported people to maintain their privacy and dignity.

Care plans contained basic information, but were generally task led. We spoke with the registered manager about incorporating more detailed person centred information about people’s needs and their preferences about how those needs should be met.

Care and support was not always provided at people’s preferred times and we were concerned that the service was not person centred in this respect.

There was a registered manager and we received positive feedback from people using the service and care workers about the management of the service.

The registered manager had implemented quality assurance processes to monitor the care and support provided.