De Vere Care Partnership -Chelmsford

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• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

The provider worked in partnership with other organisations to support people's needs. Care plans were developed to promote effective care and treatment following assessment of people’s needs. People told us they were involved in the assessment process and subsequent reviews of their care. 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 this practice. However, we identified during this assessment additional work was required related to planning people's care more effectively.

This service scored 67 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People told us they were happy with the support they received from staff and the care met their needs and wishes. A person told us, “They came for quite a while checking what I wanted and needed. Now and then I get them coming round to see If I’m ok.” A relative said, “At first [family member] was bedridden and we had to have 2 carers 4 times a day. One of the carers taught [family member] how to walk again. The physiotherapist said this was the result of the carer doing [family members] exercises.”

Staff told us people received a full assessment of their needs before they used the service to ensure their needs could be met. A staff member told us, “I always check the book to see what the care plans are and what the needs of the client are.” Another staff member said, “The office prepares the care plan. I introduce myself to clients and read the care plan before providing care.”

The provider assessed people’s needs before delivering care. Care plans recorded information about people's preferences and the support they required. Assessments included information provided by health and social care professionals who worked with people and understood their needs The provider had policies and procedures which highlighted specific legislation and guidance that staff needed to be aware of and follow when delivering care. However, the provider’s call monitoring system did not demonstrate care was delivered in the way it was being planned and therefore was not person-centered.

We did not look at Delivering evidence-based care and treatment during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

Overall people were happy with the regular staff that supported them. A person told us, “When they come, the regular ones that come know me.” Another person said, “I have the same carer on each of the calls they team up with another care.” However, we did receive some feedback that when regular staff were not available, the staff replacing them were not so familiar with people’s care. A person told us, “I’ve had to [contact service] as I’ve had a couple of incidents where a couple of staff have turned up at the door with no uniform and no badge. “

Staff were positive about the service provided to people and how they worked together as a team. Staff told us they were provided with updated information about people’s care. A staff member told us, “We work well with each other; my team is very supportive as are my managers. We do good teamwork.” Another staff member said, “The staff are very supportive, we work well, and our co-ordination is of utmost importance.” While the staff we spoke to expressed that they were generally happy with the way they worked together, our assessment found elements of care did not meet the expected standards.

We contacted health and care professionals to gain feedback. One care professional told us the people they visited were not always positive about the care they received, and these concerns were immediately reported to the office. They said, "The care appears to not be person centred, the adult that they are there to care for, is not the most important person when they are visiting and they should be."

People’s care records contained information about their care calls and what staff needed to know. The registered manager contacted health and care professionals when needed to provide people with the appropriate care and support. However, people told us not all staff were fully aware of their needs and preferences before delivering care. This meant we were not assured the provider planned and coordinated people’s care effectively to deliver consistently good care.

We did not look at Supporting people to live healthier lives during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

We did not look at Monitoring and improving outcomes during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

Most people confirmed staff asked for consent before providing care. A person told us, “In the mornings and they come in they always ask me shall I put the light on.” Another person told us, “When I need the help, I would get a positive response.” However, we did also receive other comments about staff plugging in their phones to charge without asking for people's consent and walking into their homes without calling out to alert a person they were there.

Staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff understood the need to obtain consent before giving care to people. A staff member said, “I talk with them and ask what they need, I make sure they give permission.” I ask every time to the client, are you happy with everything? I assist people and give people choices. I would use gestures and show people if they did not understand.”

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The Act requires that, as far as possible, people make their own decisions and are helped to do so when needed. When they lack mental capacity to take particular decisions, any made on their behalf must be in their best interests and as least restrictive as possible. People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment when this is in their best interests and legally authorised under the MCA. When people receive care and treatment in their own homes an application must be made to the Court of Protection for them to authorise people to be deprived of their liberty. We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA. The provider told us the people who used the service could make decisions about their care and support, however, some people we contacted could not always speak with us which meant we were not assured the information we had received was accurate. The registered manager told us they would contact the local authority if they had concerns about people’s ability to make decisions about their care and support.