Dudley MBC Home Care Services

Dudley MBC Home Care Services is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes on a short-term basis. On the day of the inspection, 91 people were receiving support.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received safe care. People were supported safely and there were enough care staff to keep them safe. There were recruitment systems in place to ensure only appropriate staff were appointed to support people. Where people were administered medicines, this was carried out as it was prescribed. Care staff had access to appropriate equipment in line with the provider’s infection control procedures. Where accidents and incidents took place, trends were monitored.

People received effective care. Care staff had the knowledge and skills to support people how they wanted. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. People decided what meals they had to eat. People could access health care professionals when needed with the support from care staff.

People received support that was caring and compassionate. People told us they decided how care staff supported them. Care staff were respectful of people’s privacy, dignity and independence.

People received support that was responsive to their needs. Assessments and care plans were carried out to ensure the support people received was what they wanted. There was a complaints process in place to enable people to raise concerns.

The service was well led. The registered manager demonstrated a good understanding of the service and had plans in place to improve the service people received. Communication between the service and people was good. Audits and spot checks were carried out to ensure the service people received was of a good quality. Questionnaires were used to engage with people and the information gathered was analysed to make improvements to the service.

Rating at last inspection:

Rated Good (Report published 23/09/2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned comprehensive inspection.

Follow up:

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

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

Dudley MBC is a domiciliary care service registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. The care provided is urgent, short term care only. The service currently provides care to 68 people.

There was 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.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of care staff who had undergone recruitment checks to ensure they were safe to work. Care staff understood how to report abuse and manage risks to keep people safe. People were supported with their medications by care staff that had been trained in how to support with this safely.

Care staff had received appropriate training and supervision to ensure they could support people effectively. Care staff ensured people’s rights were upheld in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and that people were supported with meals and had access to healthcare services where required.

People spoke positively about the service and felt it was well led. care staff felt supported by the registered manager and were aware of how to whistle blow if needed.

People were supported by care staff who were kind, caring and treated them with dignity. People were supported to maintain their independence where possible.

People were involved in the assessment of their care. Care staff knew people’s needs and understood how to deliver care in line with people’s preferences.

Where complaints were made, these were investigated fully by the registered manager. People were supported to provide feedback on their experience of the service.

The provider had a complaints process in place to people were able to make a complaint

The provider had a system in place to be able to gather people’s views on the quality of the service

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and the registered manager had clear plans for the future development of the service.

People we consulted confirmed their privacy, dignity and independence were respected. One person said, 'They are so respectful and help me in any way they can."

People and relatives we consulted told us they were satisfied with the service they received. One relative told us, 'She doesn't know where she'd be without them, they're angels." Another person said, 'It's a first class service. I cannot fault them."

We found that staff were clear about what action they would take if they became aware of an allegation of abuse. This ensured people were safeguarded from harm.

The staff we spoke with told us they felt supported by the management team. They confirmed they had regular training opportunities. This ensured staff were able to deliver care to an appropriate standard.

We found that systems were in place for assessing and monitoring the quality of the service provided.