Archived: Reablement North

We carried out this announced inspection on 15 and 16 March 2016. We met with the registered manager and staff on 15 March and we looked at records on the 14 and 15 March. We spoke with people who used the service on 16 March.

We met with the registered manager of the Reablement North service. They had many years of service in management within the local authority. 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.

A team of supervisors and support officers were based in the office locations with team leaders and Reablement workers providing the direct service in people’s own homes.

People we spoke with who received personal care felt the staff were knowledgeable, skilled and the care package met their needs. People who used the told us they felt comfortable with the members of staff who were supporting them. One person said; “They were excellent, I had eight different carers and they were all great.” Staff told us people received good care and support.

Staff undertook the management of medicines safely. There were procedures in place to support staff and staff we spoke with told us they were trained and felt confident in medicines management.

People told us they felt confident that should concerns be raised these would be dealt with appropriately. People told us they could contact the registered manager or supervisors at the service if they needed to discuss anything. People said they had the opportunity to talk about their opinions of the service during reviews and through meetings.

People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare professionals and services. Where needed people were seen or referrals were made to the GP, district nursing service, occupational therapist, community physiotherapist and dietician.

People told us they were supported to prepare food and drinks of their choice. This helped to ensure that nutritional needs were met. People told us they were encouraged and supported to be independent with meal preparation.

People told us staff respected their privacy and dignity. Staff were aware of the values of the service and knew how to respect people’s privacy and dignity.

The managers and staff we spoke with told us they had attended training in the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. MCA is legislation to protect and empower people who may not be able to make their own decisions, particularly about their health care, welfare or finances.

Records we saw confirmed Durham County Council had effective recruitment and selection policies in place which ensured staff members were of good character and had the required skills to perform their work.

Staff we spoke with told us they felt supported and they spoke highly of the training provided by the service. We saw that meetings with staff both individually and collectively were positive and well recorded.

We saw care plans and risk assessments were developed with the person and staff were able to show us that they were clear and easy to follow.

There was a robust quality assurance process carried out by the service and registered provider as well as close monitoring of accidents and incidents. We saw the service had responded to any learning and improvements it needed to make to its service.

We found personal care was planned and delivered in a way which ensured people's safety and welfare. One person said, 'They help you to do things yourself and get you back on your own two feet.' A check of peoples' progress showed that 62% of those who had used the service in 2013 did not need any ongoing care following their period of support from the Reablement North service.

The provider had made suitable arrangements to protect vulnerable people and respond appropriately to any allegation of abuse. One person told us he had confidence in the carers support. He said, 'I'm very confident that the girls who support me are keeping me safe and have my interests at heart.'

We found staff received appropriate professional development. People told us they were happy with the support they received.

People who used the service and their representatives were asked for their views about the service. We saw their responses were acknowledged and acted on. In a survey almost all of those who responded said the Reablement North service had improved the quality of their lives. One person said, 'No one could have looked after us better than our carers, I cannot thank them enough.'

We found care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way which ensured people's safety and welfare. One person said 'I had a relapse on my first day but with the support of (reablement staff) I managed to get fixed up without having to go back to hospital.'

The provider had made suitable arrangements to protect vulnerable people and respond appropriately to any allegation of abuse. One person told us he had confidence in the carers support. He said, 'It's reassuring to know that someone is looking out for you.'

We found staff received appropriate professional development. People told us they were happy with the support they received from staff. One person told us, '(the reablement service) were just what I needed. Nobody wants to be stuck in hospital, and the staff helped me to get fit and get used to living in my home again.'

People who used the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about the care and treatment offered. We saw their responses were acknowledged and acted on. One person told us, 'You would never need to make a complaint. They have people who check to make sure you are all right all the time.'