Archived: Northern Case Management Leeds Office

The service is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. The service provides care and support to people of any age who require rehabilitation following a brain or spinal cord injury. At the time of the inspection, there was one person receiving the regulated activity of personal care from the provider

There was 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

A relative of the person currently using the service told us they were happy with the support their family member received from the service. They said they felt their family member was looked after well and were confident they were in ‘safe hands’. The relative told us their family member had a good quality of life because of the support received. They said they felt involved in the development of all aspects of their family members support package.

There were arrangements for the safe handling of medicines in place and staff were trained and competent in people's medicines support. Staff understood how to keep people safe and told us any potential risks were identified and managed well. We found there were systems in place to protect people from the risk of harm and safe recruitment procedures were in place.

There were policies and procedures in place in relation to consent and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Staff showed they understood how to ensure their practice was in line with the MCA and could describe how they made sure they respected people’s choices and wishes.

Arrangements were in place to make sure any dietary requirements were met and a range of other professionals were involved to help make sure people stayed healthy.

Staff were supported to do their job well. Care and support was provided by appropriately trained staff. They received support to help them understand how to deliver good care and support and confirmed their training prepared them well for their role. Staff knew the person they were supporting well and were confident they delivered good support.

People’s needs had been assessed and support plans contained good information which guided staff around how care should be delivered in a person centred way. Support plans covered what was important to the person, what they wanted to achieve and what support they needed. This included the support needed to enjoy and experience leisure opportunities.

There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of service provision and we found there were appropriate systems in place for the management of complaints. The relative of the person who used the service was aware of who to speak with to raise any concerns. They confirmed anything raised was always dealt with promptly. Staff and the relative we spoke with told us the management team led the service well and had driven improvement.

The service is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. The service provides care and support to people of any age who require rehabilitation following a brain or spinal cord injury.

The service had 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.

Systems in place to manage people’s medicines were not robust. The service was not effectively ensuring staff had the correct information to administer the correct dose for people in the correct way.

The service did not use the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 during assessment and as part of care planning to evidence consent or best interest decisions being made on behalf of people.

There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Staff told us the service had an open, inclusive and positive culture.

Staff told us the registered manager and case manager team were supportive. Most staff had received regular and recent supervisions. Most staff had received an annual appraisal.

The majority of staff were up to date with training. Staff told us they had received training which had provided them with the knowledge and skills to provide care and support.

Assessments were undertaken to identify people’s care and support needs. Care records reviewed contained information about the person's likes, dislikes and personal choices. There was evidence people and their families were involved in the process. The service was not always ensuring detail from risk assessments was transferred into people’s care plans.

Effective recruitment and selection procedures were in place and we saw appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work. Gaps in employment and risks associated with starting a staff member before all necessary checks were in place were not always recorded.

Staff at the service worked with other healthcare professionals to support people. Staff worked and communicated with social workers, occupational therapists and hospital staff as part of the assessment and on-going reviews.

There were enough staff employed to provide support and ensure people’s needs were met. People told us staff were reliable.

There were systems and processes in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff were aware of the different types of abuse and what poor practice would look like.

Prior to the commencement of the service, staff completed environmental risk assessments of the person’s home. This meant the registered provider took steps to ensure the safety of people and staff.

There were risk assessments in place for people who used the service. The risk assessments had been reviewed and updated on a regular basis. Risk assessments covered areas such as mobility and eating and drinking. This meant staff had the written guidance they needed to help people remain safe.

People and family members told us staff treated them with dignity and respect. We observed staff were attentive, showed compassion, were patient and gave encouragement to people.

People were provided with their choice of food and drinks which helped to ensure their nutritional needs were met.

The registered provider had a system in place for responding to people’s concerns and complaints. People told us they knew how to complain and felt confident the service would respond and take action to support them.

We spoke with a relative of a person who used the service and they said, "I have had a very positive experience during a very difficult time."

The registered manager showed us the provider's safeguarding and whistleblowing policies which were clear and contained appropriate guidance and information for staff. During our visit we spoke with a member of staff employed by the service. They told us they knew what to do if they thought someone was at risk, and were clear about the phrase "Safeguarding" and how it related to their delivery of care.

Records we saw confirmed Northern Case Management Leeds office had effective recruitment and selection policies in place to ensure staff members were of good character and had the required skills to perform their work.

People told us they could contact their case manager or staff at the service if they needed to discuss anything. People said they had the opportunity to talk about their opinions of the service during reviews.