15 March 2016
During a routine inspection
Reeves Monroe Limited provides personal care to people in the London borough of Redbridge and Waltham Forest. On the day of our visit there were eight people using the service of which 50% were paying for their care privately. They also provide reablement and end of life care.
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.
People told us they felt safe and trusted the staff who looked after them. They were supported by staff who were aware of the procedures to protect them from abuse. Staff were enabled to support people effectively by means of training, regular spot checks and supervision.
The service ensured that there were enough staff available to cover for emergency, absences and other leave in order to ensure that there were no missed visits.
Staff were aware of the procedures to follow to ensure that medicines were handled safely. Risks to the environment were regularly assessed in order to protect people from avoidable harm. However risks to people were not specific and did not always outline how to mitigate the risk.
There were robust recruitment checks that included the necessary criminal checks to ensure that staff were suitable to work in the health and social care environment.
Staff demonstrated an understanding of how they would obtain consent to care. They had an awareness of how the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards applied in practice.
People told us that they were treated with dignity and respect and that their wishes were respected.
People told us that they were supported to eat and drink a balanced diet according to their tastes and preferences. Staff were aware of the procedures to refer people to other healthcare professionals when required.
The service had a positive culture that was open and inclusive. People and staff thought the management team were approachable and open to suggestions made in order to improve care delivery. They were aware of how to make a complaint and thought that their complaint would be listened to and resolved by the registered manager.
Quality assurance checks were completed by the managers in order to monitor and improve the quality of care delivered.
We found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we have told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.