Dignus Support

Updated 31 January 2018

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 was the first inspection of the service since it was registered with the Care Quality Commission.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to younger adults with learning disabilities and autism.

The inspection visit took place on Thursday 4 January and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice of our visit. This was because the location provides a small domiciliary care service and we wanted to be sure staff would be available to meet with us as part of the inspection visit.

There were two people who received personal care from the provider at the time of our inspection. The service was inspected by one inspector.

During our visit to the location we spoke with four staff, the manager and operations manager. We also looked at the records of the two people who used the service, and records related to quality and safety. On the day after our visit we spoke with the relatives of the two people who received the service.

Updated 31 January 2018

This was the first inspection of Dignus Support Solutions-Falkland Close and was announced.

The service primarily provides a day care facility for people who have learning disabilities and/or autism. It wanted to provide personal care at home to some of the people who used its other day care services and therefore registered with the CQC. At the time of our visit only two people received personal care at home.

This inspection took place on 4 January 2018 at the office located within the day service. However we only looked at the service provided to those receiving personal care at home. This is because we do not regulate day care services.

The service did not have a registered manager. 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. The registered manager had recently left the service and a new manager had been recruited and was applying to be registered with us.

The provider and management team had worked hard to improve the service after a period where the service had not been well-led. At the time of our visit, changes had been made and the service gave good support to those receiving personal care.

The provider had become aware they had not always known when the service had not been delivered to people in the way people wanted. They had changed their process in response to this. Complaints were now being managed well.

People who used the domiciliary service had for a period of time, not always received the care calls they expected or by the staff members they were familiar with. The new manager assured us this had been addressed and people were now getting their care from people they knew and at the expected time.

Staff had received training to work effectively with people who used the service; and received support from the management team to help them with their work. Staff recruitment procedures reduced the risks of people being supported by staff who were unsuitable. Staff told us they felt the service had improved under the new manager.

Staff knew people well and how to work with them safely. They had a caring approach to people and were responsive to their personal care needs. Staff understood how to safeguard people from abuse.

Staff understood the importance of receiving people's consent before carrying out care tasks.

At the time of our inspection no one using the DCA was supported with food or fluids, or with the management of medicines.