We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Stables 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 The Stables, you can give feedback on this service.
The Stables is a small home care agency providing support to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection The Stables was providing personal care and support to 26 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were protected from the risk of harm or abuse by staff who were well trained to deliver safe care and knew about acting promptly when they felt people were at risk. People and their relatives expressed confidence in the safe care and support provided by staff they found to be reliable and caring. Staff recruitment processes were safe and robust.
People and their relatives said staff safely supported them when they needed assistance to move, and any administration of medication by staff was well managed.
People's care and support needs were assessed and regularly monitored to ensure they were still current and being met. People’s wishes, and legal rights were promoted and protected by staff who had received up to date training which the staff felt equipped them well to deal with any issues.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff advised they had been trained to support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. People made positive comments about the care and support they received from staff who regularly worked with them.
People were cared for by staff who showed regard for their well-being and relatives commented that people received personalised care from the staff who supported them in ways they preferred.
Relatives advised the staff responded well to changes in how people were to be supported, providing prompt support when people were unwell or had increased care needs. Requests for any short-term changes were also attended to promptly and always met. Agreed plans of care reflected the full care and support needs of people.
People and their relatives expressed confidence that any concerns or complaints would be properly addressed. Concerns or complaints were responded to in line with the providers policy and procedures.
The registered manager was known by people who used the service and their relatives. Staff and relatives made comments about the registered manager being approachable supportive. The provider had regularly sought feedback on the quality of the service through the use of questionnaires with people and their relatives. The registered manager had plans in hand to improve and share information from the analysis of the questionnaires returned. The quality of care provided was regularly checked by the registered manager to ensure the providers set standards were maintained.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (report was published in August 2017)
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
We inspected this service on 20 July 2017. This inspection was announced. This meant the provider and staff knew we would be visiting the service’s office before we arrived. There were 35 people in receipt of personal care support at the time of this inspection visit. This was the first inspection since the provider’s registration on the 4 August 2016.
The service had a registered manager in post. 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 received care that was planned to meet their needs and received their calls as agreed. Some people told us they were not informed if staff were running late. We fed this back to the management team who confirmed they would take immediate action to address this. Checks were undertaken on staff’s suitability before they began working with people. Staff understood their role in protecting people from harm and people received their medicine as required.
People were supported by staff that received training to improve their knowledge of care and enhance their skills. Staff were provided with supervision by the management team to monitor their conduct and support their professional development. When needed, people were supported to maintain their dietary requirements and preferences and to access healthcare services. Staff supported people to maintain their dignity when providing care and enabled them to be as independent as they could be.
People’s needs and preferences were understood by the staff that supported them and staff were caring towards them. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives because staff understood the importance of gaining consent from people.
People and their representatives were able to review their care to ensure it was still appropriate for them. People and their representatives found the provider approachable and were given opportunities to comment on the care they received and be involved with plans for the future. People knew how to complain and we saw when complaints were made these were addressed. There were audits in place to monitor the quality of the service to drive improvements. The provider understood their responsibilities around registration with us.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.