Support & Independence Team - Lower Valley

Updated 18 October 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

The Support and Independence Team (Lower valley) is a domiciliary care agency providing short term reablement services to help people regain their independence following periods of illness or time in hospital. The service provides short term personal care and support to people in their own homes.

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.

Inspection activity started on 17 September and ended on 19 September 2019. We visited the office location on 19 September 2019.

What we did before 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 six members of staff including the registered manager, team leader and four reablement support assistants.

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

We spoke on the telephone with four people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided.

Updated 18 October 2019

About the service

The Support and Independence Team (Lower valley) is a domiciliary care agency providing short term reablement services to help people regain their independence following periods of illness or time in hospital. The service provides short term personal care and support to people in their own homes in the Brighouse, Rastrick, Halifax and Elland areas. The service's office base is situated in Brighouse Health Centre. Referrals to the service are usually from the community, Gateway to Care or following hospital discharge.

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.

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

The service was focused on providing people with timely and effective reablement following illness or injury.

People had good relationships with the staff and were complimentary of the care and support they received to enable them to regain their independence. People said staff took time to get to get to know them. Staff often went the extra mile to make sure people’s needs were met.

People were involved in development of their care plans to make sure the support received met their reablement goals. People’s preferences about the support they received was integral to the care planning process.

The service included support from physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Staff maintained strong links with other health and social care professionals to ensure goals were achieved.

Staff were recruited safely, well trained, and people had consistent staff providing their care. There was a good standard of information showing how staff could minimise any risks, and people received their medicines safely.

Systems were in place to manage issues which might affect the safe delivery of care such as adverse weather conditions.

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. People had signed their consent to care plans and risk assessments. People told us staff made sure they understood the support they were providing.

Robust systems were in place to gain the views of people using the service. Feedback from people was analysed and used to inform the review and development of the service.

The service benefitted from strong leadership. The registered manager was committed to the continuous development of the service to make sure people received effective reablement support. They promoted a supportive and inclusive team culture. Staff had a thorough understanding of the aims of the service and were supported to work with other professionals to promote the quality of service provided to people.

Rating at last inspection: At our last inspection we rated the service as good. (Published 15 March 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.