Vibrance Outreach

Updated 22 January 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of one inspector and one Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

It was a requirement of the service’s registration that there is a registered manager in post. The service did not have a registered manager in post during the inspection. A registered manager is registered with the Care Quality Commission meaning they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. The manager running the service had been in post for a year but the provider had not applied for them to be the registered manager of the service.

Notice of inspection

We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the friend of one person who used the service. We spoke with the manager of the service.

We reviewed a range of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures. We looked at one staff file in relation to recruitment and staff supervision.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at one person’s care records. We spoke with one member of care staff.

Updated 22 January 2020

About the service

Vibrance outreach is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to one person in their own home. The provider also runs other schemes that do not carry out a regulated activity.

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

The person’s friend told us the service was safe. The provider had identified a range of risks to protect people from the risk of harm to their wellbeing, however pressure ulcer risk assessments were not comprehensive.

The person’s friend told us the service was well run. There was an open culture at the service. However, the provider had did not have systems in place to fully assess the quality of the service and make any necessary improvements. We have made a recommendation about quality assurance. Staff told us they received training to help them carry out their roles although the provider did not keep full records of supervisions. The provider told us they would record supervisions going forward.

Staff understood their responsibilities to report signs of abuse to the manager. The person’s friend told us staff had developed good working relationships with the person using the service. The person’s independence was promoted and their privacy was protected. The person’s friend felt confident to raise concerns if required.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff supported people to eat and drink enough and to have access to healthcare.

The provider developed care records based on referrals by the commissioning local authority which included the person’s likes and dislikes and updated them regularly.

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 July 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.