21 June 2018
During a routine inspection
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults, younger disabled adults and people with mental health needs.
Not everyone using Navigo Extra receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection 16 people were receiving a regulated activity.
There was a registered manager at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 abuse and avoidable harm, by staff who knew how to keep people safe. Potential risks to people were identified on an individual basis and documented clearly with an action plan, so these could be minimised. Risks were also considered in people’s home environment, to keep people and staff safe. The registered manger had oversight of accidents and incidents and recorded these on an electronic system, so patterns and trends could be analysed to reduce similar events reoccurring.
People were supported to receive their medicines safely. Although, the registered manager had identified recurring minor recording errors this was being addressed with staff. One person had a medicine ‘as and when required’ (PRN) but there was no guidance available to staff to support them to administer this as prescribed. This was addressed by the registered manager during the inspection.
Staff received effective levels of supervision and support and were recruited safely. Staff had completed an induction and a range of training to equip them with the skills and abilities to meet people’s needs. People were supported to access healthcare and attend appointments. For those who required assistance with their nutritional needs, support was provided to maintain a diet of their choosing.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff supported people to maintain their independence and treated people with dignity and respect.
People were supported by skilled staff that were knowledgeable about people’s needs and supported them in line with their preferences. People’s care plans were person centred and reviewed regularly with them to ensure they were involved. People were supported to access the community and leisure activities if chosen. There was a complaints policy in place and those that had been received were responded to appropriately, to ensure outcomes were achieved for people.
There was a positive culture within the service and people told us they felt listened to. There were effective quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided, understand the experiences of people who used the service and identify any concerns.