Background to this inspection
Updated
24 August 2022
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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
The inspection was undertaken by one inspector and an assistant 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 through case management. Case management is a collaborative process of assessment, facilitation, care co-ordination, evaluation and advocacy. The provider carries out assessments, and delivers care, support, and therapy focused on enabling people to recover from their injuries.
Registered Manager
This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
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. 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 (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We visited the office on 14 June 2022. Some people receiving care from StanleySmith Case Management were not able or did not want to speak with us. However, we carried out telephone calls on 4 July 2022 and spoke with one person who was happy to speak with us. We also spoke with four people's relatives. We returned to the office on the 5 July 2022 to speak with one person about their experience of care. We spoke with the registered manager who was also a director. We also met and spoke with the co-director of the service. We spoke with six support staff and contacted four case managers via email. We also contacted four health professionals working with the service. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people's care records, medication records, audits, training records and four staff files.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.
Updated
24 August 2022
About the service
StanleySmith Case Management is a specialist agency which provides case management support to children and adults who have sustained complex life changing injuries such as an acquired brain injury, spinal injury or cerebral palsy. StanleySmith Case Management provide the regulated activity of personal care and treatment of disease, disorder or injury for to up to eleven people. At the time of our inspection there were 11 people receiving the regulated activity.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received a truly bespoke person-centred care from a well-led service. People and their relatives spoke extremely highly of the service they received and felt it focused on the support they required to live as independently as possible and maximise their quality of life. People and their relatives told us they were treated with kindness and respect by staff.
The provider’s demonstrated a commitment to continuous learning and improving care to achieve best outcomes for people. Staff were encouraged to undertake learning opportunities and cascade learning to the team. The provider had established systems to monitor the quality of the service which included developing monitoring tools to monitor progress and measure whether the service was helping people achieve their goals.
Staff were all highly motivated to provide care and support which was kind, compassionate and supportive. Staff clearly reflected the providers ethos of providing an innovative, dynamic, tailored approach for the people they supported.
People's voices were heard, and their views regularly sought. People were fully in control of their care, and this was promoted in everything the service did.
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.
The provider had completed detailed and personalised risk assessments and health and wellbeing plans. The focus was on enabling people to continue to live a fulfilled and active life whilst maintaining their safety.
Recruitment of staff was completed safely and was highly bespoke. Recruitment processes were completed with people and their family’s full involvement. People’s support teams were recruited according to people’s assessed needs.
Staff were provided with training to ensure they had the skills and knowledge needed to care for people. Where people had specific needs, staff received bespoke training from specialist health professionals.
People were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff had completed safeguarding training and understood their roles in protecting people from abuse.
People were supported by staff to take their medicines safely. Staff had access to comprehensive policies and procedures around safe medicine management and were provided with training and support.
People were supported to undertake social and leisure opportunities they enjoyed and were meaningful to them, to live as full a life as possible and prevent social isolation.
The service had an exceptionally positive approach to partnership working. They worked closely with a wide range of specialist clinicians and professionals across the clinical and geographical areas covered. Health professionals were extremely complimentary about the service.
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 27 March 2019, and this is their first inspection.
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection as the service have not been inspected since registering with the CQC.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.