Archived: Individualised Care Limited

We previously inspected the service on 4 June 2014 when the service was found to be meeting the regulations we looked at.

Individualised Care Limited had a registered manager at the service. 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 said that they felt safe with the care and support provided, and that staff were kind, caring and always respectful towards them. Staff understood how to recognise and protect people from abuse and received regular training around how to keep people safe. Staff were not recruited until checks had been made to make sure they were suitable to work with the people that used the service. The staff had previous experience of working in the care sector prior to being employed by the service.

People told us that the staff and management were approachable and if they had any concerns they would be listened to. People said that staff were reliable and there were enough staff to meet their needs. People said that staff holidays or sickness were covered by other staff to make sure that they had consistent support.

People’s care records contained the relevant information for staff to follow to meet people’s health needs and manage risks appropriately. Staff told us that they were made aware of any changes in people’s needs in a timely manner. Care plans and risk assessments were regularly updated, particularly if people’s needs changed. People we spoke with were happy with the care and support that they received and were involved in care planning and reviews. People told us they had choice over the support they received and nothing was done without their consent.

We could see from records that that staff responded quickly if someone was unwell and supported people to access other health professionals when needed. People were supported to take their medicine safely and when they needed it, and risk assessments confirmed the level of support people needed.

The provider and registered manager had systems to review care plans and risk assessment to measure the safety and quality of the service. Checks and audits were completed regularly to make sure that good standards of care were maintained. However, not all the records could evidence these were always updated. The registered manager has undertaken to update their quality assurance processes to ensure all records are up to date.

People told us that they felt confident that staff had the knowledge and skills to provide the right care and support. We found that staff had regular refresher training in the main areas to enable them to deliver safe and effective care. However we noted that whilst staff understood the principles of consent and delivering care that was individual to the person, not all staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

We have made a recommendation to the provider in relation to staff training.

Is the service safe?

People told us they felt safe and trusted the staff. One person told us, "I trust my carer completely. I've got no complaints".

Staff received training in safeguarding people from abuse and were aware of how to raise an alert if required.

Staff received the training they needed to carry out their roles safely. We saw that staff were trained to administer medication and we checked records and found that people were given the correct medicines in a timely way.

Care records were regularly updated to ensure that people received the care they needed to keep them safe. The service worked with other healthcare professionals when they were concerned about someone's safety.

Is the service effective?

People's health and care needs were assessed in consultation with either the person themselves or relatives. People's care plans reflected their healthcare needs and the service worked in conjunction with support from outside professionals to meet people's needs.

People who use the service and their relatives told us that staff were always on time. People we spoke with told us they had never been let down by the service.

Is the service caring?

People were supported by staff who were kind, caring and respectful. Care workers supported people with patience and genuine affection, assisting people who required additional support in a dignified manner. One person we spoke with told us "I always feel very cared for."

Is the service responsive?

People's care records showed that where concerns about an individual's wellbeing had been identified, staff had taken appropriate action to ensure that people were provided with the support they needed. This included seeking support and guidance from other health care professionals when required.

We saw that the service responded positively to comments made in annual surveys they sent out.

Is the service well led?

The service had a quality assurance system in place and we saw that the manager monitored the quality of the service closely by carrying out spot checks and by contacting people who used the service and their representatives.

Staff we spoke with were positive about the leadership of the service and said that they felt well supported. People who use the service and their relatives were positive about the leadership of the service.

People expressed their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment.

People's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. People who use the service and their relatives spoke very positively about the care that was provided. One person told us that their relatives main care worker was "excellent" and another that their relatives main care worker was "very reliable".

People who use the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening. The service had a member of staff on call at all times for care staff to report to, and staff told us that they knew that they should contact the local authority safeguarding team if they were unable to report a concern to line management immediately.

We found that staff were given the opportunity to discuss issues of importance to them in staff meetings and that they could offer and receive support from their peers.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive.