Sportfit

Sportfit provide personal care services to young people within their family homes. People they support

include children aged 13 to 18. People supported include those with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders and sensory impairment. The number of people who used the service fluctuated. At the time of inspection, one person was receiving support with their personal care.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

Sportfit also runs a 'supported living service' from the same building. A different staff team run this service and it does not come under The Care Quality Commissions regulatory remit, as they do not provide personal care to people.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

One relative told us they were happy with the care their family members received. They said that the service was reliable and tailored to their family member’s needs.

There were enough staff in place who had received appropriate training and support in their role. Staff were caring, knowledgeable and dedicated to providing good quality care. A Relative told us staff treated their family members with respect.

People were safeguarded against the risks of suffering abuse and avoidable harm. Risks associated with people’s care were assessed and effectively reduced.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the care. The management team had effective oversight of the service and were practically involved in the day to day organisation of people’s care packages.

There were systems in place to deal appropriately with complaints and feedback.

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 20 June 2017).

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.

There was 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’s relatives and staff told us that the registered manager and management team were approachable and dedicated in their role. The registered manager strongly promoted the provider’s values and had invested time in their staff to ensure that they reflected this ethos. Staff we spoke to were committed and dedicated in their role and told us about the importance of providing good quality care. People’s relative’s told us staff embodied these values in their working practice. The management team took an active role in the day to day running of the service. They were familiar with the people who received care and were readily available to advise and assist staff who required support.

The provider had invested in additional resources since the last inspection to improve its training resources for staff. New staff received training in line with the Care Certificate, which is a nationally recognised set of competencies for care workers. The provider had also enrolled existing staff into this training programme to help ensure all staff received a consistent and high quality training programme. Many staff were also following additional qualifications in health and social care.

Improvements had been made to develop policies and procedures around safe recruitment of staff. The registered manager had identified some shortfalls in the service’s recruitment processes and had employed additional staff to review and manage recruitment for the service. This had resulted in improvements being made to the provider’s recruitment processes. This helped to ensure that suitably qualified and skilled people were employed to work with people.

The service monitored the quality of the care being delivered by observing staff during their working practice and reviewing care documentation to ensure its accuracy and quality. Feedback and learning was shared with staff through supervision and team meetings.

The service worked in partnership with people’s families to ensure that their care plans reflected people’s choice and preferences around their personal routines. Care plans were regularly reviewed and the service participated in periodic meetings with families and professionals associated with people’s education and care to help ensure a consistent approach between different agencies. The service also sought feedback from people and their relatives through questionnaires, phone calls and visits. This helped ensure that the care being delivered met the expectations of people using the service. A complaints policy was in place and people’s relative’s told us they felt comfortable in raising concerns.

Risks to people during care delivery were identified and assessed. The service ensured that these risks were minimised to help maintain a safe environment for both people and staff. The service also had support systems to support staff outside of office hours if they required advice or support. Staff were knowledgeable about their responsibilities around safeguarding and protecting people from harm.

Where people required support with their medicines or eating and drinking, guidance was available to staff to meet people’s needs. People’s relatives told us that Sportfit was responsive and adaptable, which helped enable people using the service to access healthcare services.

Staff understood the need to gain people’s consent before providing care. People were treated with dignity and respect. The service made consideration to ensure that their preferences around their care staff were respected. People’s relives told us that staff were reliable and dedicated in their roles.