Archived: Blue Ribbon Berkshire

Updated 4 June 2015

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 provider is 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.

This inspection took place on 22 April 2015. The provider was given 48 hours notice because the location provides a small domiciliary care service, we needed to be sure that someone would be available for the inspection.

One inspector carried out this inspection. An expert-by-experience telephoned and spoke with people and their relatives to gain their views on the service provided. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection the previous registered manager completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at the PIR and at all the information we had collected about the service. This included previous inspection reports and notifications the service had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law.

As part of the inspection we spoke with four of the nine people who use the service and three of their relatives. We also spoke with the nominated individual, the new manager, the care supervisor and two of the five care workers. Following the inspection we received feedback from one district nurse.

We looked at three people's care plans, two staff recruitment files, staff supervision and staff training records. We saw a number of documents relating to the management of the service. For example, a "service user survey" report from July 2014 and staff training and supervision logs.

Updated 4 June 2015

This inspection took place on 22 April 2015 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours' notice as it is a small service and we needed to make sure someone would be at the office. We last inspected the service on 16 and 20 June 2014. At that inspection we found the service was not meeting the essential standards that we assessed. The provider was not compliant with the regulations related to: care and welfare of people; safeguarding people; staff recruitment; assessing and monitoring the quality of the service and storing and maintaining records. We found the previous manager had taken action to comply with the regulations we identified. However, the work started needed to be completed in two areas: staff recruitment and assessing and monitoring the quality of the service.

Blue Ribbon Berkshire provides a service to people living in their own homes in Berkshire. At the time of this inspection they were providing a service to nine people.

The service is required to have a registered manager. The previous registered manager left the service in March 2015. A new manager had been employed for two weeks when we carried out our inspection. The new manager had started the process to become registered as required. 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 were protected from risks to their health and wellbeing and were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff received training to enable them to do their jobs safely and to a good standard. Staff were available in enough numbers to meet the needs and wishes of the people they supported.

People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity was promoted. Staff were caring and responsive to the needs of the people they supported. Staff sought people's consent before working with them and encouraged and supported their independence.

People's health and well-being was assessed and measures put in place to ensure people's needs were met in an individualised way. At the time of our inspection only one person was supported with their medicines. However, those medicines were managed well and staff administering medicines were only allowed to do so after passing their training and being assessed as competent. Where included in their care package, people were supported to eat and drink enough.

Staff were happy working for the service and told us they got on well together and felt well supported by their managers.

We found two breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The provider had not made sure that recruitment checks had been carried out on staff to ensure they were suitable to work with people who use the service. The provider had not established a system that enabled the provider to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.