23 February 2015
During a routine inspection
We undertook an announced inspection of Town and Country Care on 23 February 2015. We told the provider two days before our visit that we would be coming.
This was the first inspection of this service since the provider was registered with the Care Quality Commission in October 2013.
Town and Country Care provide a personal care service to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 80 people were receiving a personal care service.
There was not a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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. There was a manager in post and they were in the process of starting the application process to become the registered manager.
The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how a provider applies the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and to report on what we find. The manager and staff understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and had received appropriate training.
People were kept safe and free from harm. There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service. People were supported to take their medicines safely.
Staff were able to accommodate last minute changes to appointments as requested by the person who used the service or their relatives.
Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and support needs.
Staff knew the people they were supporting and provided a personalised service. Care and support plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their care.
People were supported to eat and drink. Staff liaised with people’s doctors and other healthcare professionals as required.
People and their relatives were able to raise any issues or concerns and action was taken to address them.
The manager and the registered provider were accessible and approachable. Staff, people who used the service and their relatives felt able to speak with the manager and provide feedback on the service.
The manager and the registered provider undertook checks to review the quality of the service provided to people who used the service.