Background to this inspection
Updated
16 February 2017
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 inspection took place on 9 January 2017 and was announced. The provider was given two days’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the office. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.
We checked the information we held about the service and the provider. This included notifications the provider had sent to us about significant events at the service. We also spoke with the local authority that provided us with current monitoring information. The provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this to formulate our inspection plan.
We spoke with four people who used the service and one relative. We observed how staff interacted with people who used the service. We spoke with the registered manager, one of the deputy managers and three care staff. We looked at two people’s care records to check that the care they received matched the information in their records. We reviewed three staff files to see how staff were recruited. We looked at the training records to see how staff were trained and supported to deliver care appropriate to meet each person’s needs. We looked at the systems the provider had in place to ensure the quality of the service was continuously monitored and reviewed to drive improvement.
Updated
16 February 2017
We inspected this service on 9 January 2017 and the inspection was announced. This meant the provider and staff knew we would be visiting the service’s office before we arrived. At our previous inspection on the 16 October 2015 the provider was not meeting all the regulations relating to the Health and Social Care Act 2008. This was because they had failed to act in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Act where people were unable to give consent to care and treatment. The provider sent us a report in December 2015 explaining the actions they had and were taking to improve. At this inspection, we found improvements had been made,
The service was registered to provide personal care for people. At the time of our inspection six people with a learning disability were supported by the provider within their own home.
The service had 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Staff had knowledge about people’s care and support needs to enable support to be provided in a safe way that minimised any identified risks. Where people’s movements were restricted to maintain their safety, we saw that assessments had been undertaken to ensure the least restrictive methods were used in supporting the person.
People were protected against the risk of abuse, as checks were made to confirm staff were of good character and suitable to work in a care environment. Staff understood what constituted abuse or poor practice and systems and processes were in place to protect people from the risk of harm. There was sufficient staff available to support people and they were supported to take their medicine as prescribed.
People received support from trained staff. The staff received support and supervision, to monitor their performance and develop their skills. Staff knew about people’s individual capacity to make decisions and understood how to support people to make their own decisions. People’s needs and preferences were met when they were supported with their dietary needs and people were supported to maintain good health.
The delivery of care was tailored to meet people’s individual needs and preferences. The provider included people and their representatives in the planning of care. There were processes in place for people to raise any complaints and express their views and opinions about the service provided. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service to enable the registered manager and provider to drive improvement.