We carried out a review of the data available to us about North Reablement Service on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about North Reablement Service, you can give feedback on this service.
North Reablement Service is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care to people living in their own homes. As a reablement service it aims to help people regain the ability to perform their usual activities, so they can do remain independent and live in their own home. People using the service usually receive a time-limited package of care of around six weeks duration. The service predominantly provides support to older adults who have recently been discharged from hospital. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 42 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found:
At the time of our inspection the service was not always following best practice guidelines around supporting people to manage their own medicines. However, a new policy had been introduced with relevant training planned for all staff to take place shortly after our inspection.
People told us they felt safe and that visits helped to reduce anxiety. Care staff understood how to keep people safe, and any potential risks were assessed as an ongoing process. Staff understood and implemented the service’s safeguarding procedures and were vigilant to any signs of abuse.
There were enough staff to meet assessed need. Rotas allowed enough time to support people and get to know their needs and requirements. Recruitment records contained enough information to show staff suitability to work with vulnerable people. A computerised system to allocate calls meant calls were extremely rarely missed. If staff were going to be late for appointed visits, people told us that they would receive a phone call to let them know.
Staff understood the importance of infection control and were knowledgeable about diet and nutrition. When we asked people for whom care staff prepared meals they told us the food was cooked to their liking.
Staff were well trained and competent. The service had access to a range of training to improve staff knowledge and understanding. They received supervision and their performance was monitored during spot checks in people’s homes.
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/ did not support this practice. Independence and choice were encouraged.
We received good feedback from people about the way their care and support was delivered. They told us that the staff were friendly and established a good rapport. Their privacy was respected.
Good care records, which were regularly reviewed, indicated people’s needs and how they wanted to be supported. People were involved in planning their care and agreeing goals. Staff monitored people’s progress toward achieving their goals through review, and any ongoing needs were identified. case notes gave an indication of changes in need and any issues to be addressed.
Staff felt supported by the management team, and regular audits were conducted. The service worked closely with other health and social care professionals to provide people with good quality, co-ordinated care.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection:
The last rating for this service was Good (published 04 August 2016).
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
The service was last inspected by CQC on 31 January 2014, at which time it was compliant with the regulations at that time.
North Reablement Service is a domiciliary care provider operated by Manchester City Council - Adult Directorate and is registered to provide personal care to people who live in their own homes. The service focusses on helping people regain their independence, for example after a stay in hospital, by providing short-term support, usually for a maximum of six weeks.
There were 70 people using the service at the time of our inspection.
The service had a registered manager in place. 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 using the service felt safe and we saw the provider operated an out-of-hours phone line in case of unforeseen circumstances. Staff had received training in safeguarding and displayed a good understanding of what signs could indicate someone who used the service was at risk of harm.
Risks were assessed and managed well through pre-assessment and ongoing review.
We saw there were sufficient numbers of staff to meet the needs of people who used the service. Staff had been with the service a long time so underwent regular reviews of criminal records checks.
Staff prompted people to take their own medicines and we saw there were plans to increase staff competence and administer certain types of medicines, such as eye drops.
Training included safeguarding awareness, moving and handling, infection control, health and safety, first aid and dementia awareness. The team leaders and registered manager kept a record of who was due to refresh certain training courses, and when.
We found consistent and comprehensive liaison with external healthcare professionals and particularly close links with the on-site home pathway team, made up of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and nursing professionals.
People who used the service, relatives and healthcare professionals told us staff were caring, compassionate and treated people with dignity and respect. People also confirmed staff were supportive and encouraging in helping them regain their independence.
People who used the service and staff confirmed they received good levels of continuity despite only using the service for short amounts of time.
We saw that staff supervisions had not happened as regularly as had been planned, but that staff were generally well supported through group meetings, some supervision and ad hoc support from the registered manager and team leaders.
We saw people were encouraged and supported to contribute to their own care planning and review, with family members also involved. We saw that personal sensitive information was stored securely.
People who used the service and healthcare professionals told us staff were accommodating to people’s changing needs and preferences.
People’s independence was encouraged and people were supported to return to the hobbies they found meaningful, which also meant they remained part of their community.
People who used the service knew how to complain should the need arise and we saw this information was provided to all people who began using the service.
The registered manager and team leaders were described in positive terms by people who used the service and other staff and we found the leadership of the service had successfully managed to continue to meet people’s needs whilst the service underwent structural change.
We found auditing and quality assurance systems were in place, with accountability at all levels. The culture of the service was in line with the goals of the statement of purpose and the customer service guide, focussed on ensuring people could regain their independence within a short period of time, without detriment to the standards of care they could expect.
People told us they felt safe when staff came to assist them. Staff were able to describe the possible signs that abuse may be occurring and what action they would take. We found the provider made referrals to the safeguarding team when any concerns were identified.
The provider had suitable systems in place to manage the prevention and control of infection. Staff received training in infection control and were provided with appropriate equipment to protect them from the risk of exposure to infections.
At our previous inspection on 18 June 2013 we found minor concerns that support plans did not always contain adequate information about people's health needs.
We carried out this inspection on 25 September 2013 to check that the provider had made improvements. During this inspection we found that support plans and assessments now contained information about people's health history and the care and support they required.
We saw that overall staff reported that support plans and assessments contained appropriate information to enable them to provide care safely.
This meant the provider had taken steps to address our concerns. Records contained appropriate and adequate information.
Since our last inspection on 18 June 2013 the North Reablement Service has changed address from the Hexagon Tower, Delauneys Road, Crumpsall, Manchester M8 9GQ to Harpurhey District Office, 6 Moston Lane, Manchester, M9 4DD.