We carried out a review of the data available to us about Short Term Intervention Service on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Short Term Intervention Service, you can give feedback on this service.
The Short Term Intervention Service supports adults with a learning disability in gaining confidence and skills to live as independently as possible in their own homes. This service may be provided for up to twelve weeks, although some people received longer support. The service provides reablement and assessment to identify any other support people may require in the longer term. At the time of our inspection 16 people were receiving support.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The management team provided, flexible person-centred care to people, so they could remain living in their own homes for longer. People were supported to have control of the service they received. They were supported to access culturally valued activities and build positive relationships.
People were protected from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm by staff who understood how to recognise and respond to concerns. Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people. People when required, were supported to receive their medicines as prescribed from trained staff. The registered manager had a system to record any incidents and accidents and learn from any trends or patterns.
People's needs were assessed, and reablement care and support had been planned with them and their relatives. Staff had received regular training and supervision to support them to meet people's needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were positive about the service and said staff were kind and caring. People told us were treated with dignity and respect and their right to privacy was upheld. Staff said working alongside people regularly promoted trust and built positive relationships. The registered manager worked with people’s advocates when appropriate.
People and their relatives told us the service was well led and they would recommend the service to others. The service worked with a variety of agencies to ensure people received all the support they needed. Staff stated the management team were always approachable and available to provide support.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion within a reablement setting. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills, relearn old skills and become more independent.
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 rating for this service was good (published 28 June 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
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.
The Short Term Intervention Service is one of a range of services offered by Manchester Council. The service aims to support adults with a learning disability in gaining confidence and skills to manage practical daily tasks, to enable them to live as independently as possible. Short term intervention is a short term service which may be provided for up to twelve weeks, although some people received a service in excess of this timescale. As well as promoting independence, the service also provides a period of assessment to identify any other services people may require in the longer term.
The Short Term Intervention Service provides a range of services to people in their own homes, including personal care. This is a short term service aimed at maximising people’s independence for the time they receive support. At the time of our inspection 16 people were receiving a service and there were two new referrals into the service.
There was a registered manager at the service. 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 who used the service told us they felt safe with the staff and the care they were provided with. Staff had a good understanding of possible indicators of abuse and told us action they would take should they become aware of any concerns. Appropriate recruitment procedures were in place although the service had not needed to recruit new staff for some time.
Risk assessments were formulated around aspects of support in the home, for example when administering medicines, moving and handling and communication. We also saw a detailed risk assessment in place for managing an individual’s behaviour within a community setting. The service carried out a hazard risk assessment, based on risks presented by the person’s home environment.
There were procedures for staff to follow should an emergency arise outside of normal working hours. The service had out of hours arrangements and staff were instructed to contact the reablement out of hour’s management team.
Medicines administration refresher training was overdue for three employees. The registered manager produced evidence to show that this training had been arranged and all three staff were attending refresher training during dates in mid May 2017.
The training matrix indicated that staff covered aspects of training relevant to the support worker role, for example in safeguarding, medicines administration, infection control, health and safety, food hygiene, personal safety plus a practical element of training in moving and handling.
There were policies and procedures in place in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff had received training on the Mental Capacity Act (2005), and staff were able to describe how they supported people in a way which followed the principles of this legislation.
We found people were cared for, or supported by, appropriately trained staff. People told us that the majority of staff were caring and staff always stayed the agreed length of time.
People were supported to regain and maintain their independence wherever possible. Staff were able to describe how they supported and encouraged people to complete tasks as much as they could for themselves. Staff recognised that reskilling people was the whole purpose of the service and provided help and support accordingly.
People were treated with dignity and respect whilst receiving care. Staff respected the people they supported and maintained their privacy whilst providing personal care. The service had recently supported someone with a terminal condition. The individual had planned their own funeral with the help of staff and other health professionals. This highlighted that staff were caring, compassionate and went the extra mile when supporting someone at the end of their life.
Support plans identified the care and support people needed to ensure their safety. We looked at a sample of electronic support plans. These mapped out what was expected of workers at each visit and included support guidance in relation to personal care, nutrition, finances, health and community activities.
We saw references to culture and faith within support plans, observation checks on staff and in risk assessments. The service acknowledged and respected an individual’s faith and cultural beliefs.
Some people were supported to access social activities within the community. The registered manager told us it was important to find out what activities and events people were interested in and then gauge if people were able to access these. Supporting people in the community gave staff the opportunity to assess people’s social skills and build on these wherever possible.
The registered manager received support from team leaders within the staff team, other reablement colleagues and their line manager. The registered manager understood their responsibility to inform the Care Quality Commission of specific events that occurred in the service.
Staff we spoke with told us they received supervisions in the form of job consultations. Staff meetings took place on a regular basis and were well attended by staff. The welfare of staff was important to the service and staff spoke highly of the support available to them.
Staff from the short term intervention service worked alongside any new providers for a period of time. The service worked in partnership with other organisations for the benefit of people using the service.