Archived: Mr Dean Oliver Dervan Also known as Geolis Care

At the time of our inspection, Geolis Care was providing support to 10 people in the Trafford area. Care workers were supporting the people using the service in a range of ways, including assistance with washing and dressing, social outings, meal preparation and domestic tasks such as cleaning.

The service was not required to have a registered manager as the provider was registered as an individual. This meant he acted as the provider and manager of the service. Registered providers 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.

During this inspection we found issues with the way medicines administration had been recorded. Some prescribed medicines were being given by care workers that were not listed on people’s medicine administration records.

We found that the registered manager did not document interviews for new care workers or record how any gaps in their employment history had been explored. Other aspects of recruitment were done properly.

People known or thought to lack mental capacity had not been assessed for their ability to make decisions or give consent to care. The service was therefore not acting in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Care workers did not receive a full induction and the provision of training for all care workers was poor. In addition, care workers did not receive formal supervision or appraisal.

The registered provider did not monitor, audit or quality assure the service for safety or care quality.

We found breaches of the Health and Social Care Act (HSCA) 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulation 2014. You can see what action we have told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

People saw regular care workers and told us that they arrived on time and stayed for the full duration of the time allotted for each care visit.

People and their relatives reported that care workers used personal protective equipment when providing personal care to help prevent the spread of infections.

People told us that they felt safe with the care workers. Staff we spoke with could give examples of the different forms of abuse they needed to look out for and said they would report any concerns to the registered provider.

The people receiving support with food shopping and meal preparation gave us positive feedback about this aspect of their care. Those supported by care workers to make appointments with other healthcare professionals were also satisfied with the assistance they received.

People and their relatives told us that care workers were very caring; they told us that care workers went the extra mile to provide people with person-centred care.

Care workers gave examples of how they promoted people’s independence and maintained their privacy and dignity. They could also describe people’s likes, dislikes and preferences.

People and their relatives were involved in developing care plans. People said they received over and above what they had asked for and relatives we spoke with agreed that they did.

None of the people or relatives we spoke with had made a formal complaint. All of the people we spoke with said they felt able to speak directly to the registered provider if they had any problems.

The registered provider worked in partnership with healthcare professionals and a local charity for the disabled to provide effective care for the people the service supported.

People, their relatives and staff gave very positive feedback about the registered provider’s management of the service. Care workers enjoyed their jobs; people and their relatives said they would recommend the service to others.

We spoke to two people advocating for people who were in receipt of support. They told us: 'Absolute stars, it's not just me, all our family say so, they are never late, spend time with X and listen to them. They make proper meals, anything X wants they do.' 'They are really nice, they take X out, they are very conscientious, and my X sees calls as if a friend is visiting.' 'They take an interest in X; they reassure you as a relative, let you know if they have any concerns, absolute Godsend.'

As part of our inspection we looked at the support plans for two people and found a record of consent within the service user agreements, which had either been signed by relatives or agreed as part of a multi agency best interest meeting.

We noted in both support plans there was personal information about people, which provided staff with details which would enhance the experience for people they were providing support.

The manager and the one member of staff have both had the appropriate checks carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service to work with vulnerable adults.

The manager confidently explained to us their plans to audit support plans and formally engage people in satisfaction surveys on an annual basis.