Archived: Fenns Home Management & Support Services

Updated 27 July 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection:

We spoke with two people who used the service and four relatives/friends about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager, and two care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

After the inspection:

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We spoke to a further staff member.

Updated 27 July 2019

About the service

Fenns Home Management & Support Services is a domiciliary care service. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of inspection nine people were receiving personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Assessments had been conducted prior to people receiving a service to ensure their needs could be met, however these were not always recorded.

There were no established systems to audit and monitor the quality of the service. A lack of audits meant the provider had failed to identify areas of concerns we found at inspection.

Risk assessments were not always completed to minimise the risks to people. Where risk assessments had been completed, the action taken to minimise the risks were not always recorded. Recruitment checks were not robust. We made a recommendation regarding recruitment and risk assessments.

People were happy with the support they received with their medication, however medication records were not always clear.

Some staff mandatory training had expired. Staff told us they received induction and supervision, however these were not always recorded. We made a recommendation regarding induction and ongoing training and supervision of staff.

People told us they were supported by a consistent staff team, who were kind and caring. People were treated with respect. People were happy with the support they received with the meals. Staff supported people with their health needs where required.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People told us they made their own choices regarding the care they received.

People were happy with the care they received. People who received a service and staff were consistently positive about the registered manager.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: This service was registered with us on 12 February 2018 and this was the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the services registration date.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to governance of the service. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.