Care Direct Salford

Updated 14 August 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it supports people in their own homes and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

We inspected the service on 5, 6 and 12 June 2019. We visited people in their own homes on 5 June and visited the office location on 6 and 12 June 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, partner manager, and support workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We spoke with two professional health and social care professionals who have regular contact with the service.

Updated 14 August 2019

About the service

Care Direct Salford is a domiciliary care provider based in the Eccles area of Manchester, providing personal care and community support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service supported 60 people aged 18 to 98; including older people, people with learning, physical or sensory difficulties, and people with poor mental health. Not everyone using the service receives personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This includes help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where people receive support with personal care, we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

The ethos of Care Direct Salford was extremely person centred, caring and responsive. Everyone we spoke with told us the staff were exceptionally kind, caring and would go out of the way to help them. Staff and managers showed genuine concern for people’s welfare. People told us that they were very happy with their support. One person said, “Nothing is too much for my support workers. They are kind. They do more for me than I'd expect”.

Staff were passionate about maintaining people’s independence and this was at the core of everything the service did. People were encouraged to do as much for themselves as they could and were supported to access community facilities to limit the risk of social exclusion. Holistic support reflected the needs, wishes and personality of each individual. Staff were matched to the people they supported, building relationships and giving consistent support in a way people wanted their needs to be met. Needs were considered and reviewed, and staff responded quickly to any change in need. People told us they were fully involved in planning and reviewing their care and had a full say in how their care was delivered.

The service was well led by managers who were dedicated to providing a service which was responsive to need. The registered manager recognised the importance of creating and maintaining community links, encouraging independence and supporting people to meet their own needs where possible. Robust governance and management systems were in place, including regular feedback from people who used the service who told us that they were consulted about service delivery and were fully satisfied with the care and support they received.

Staff were highly motivated and skilled in their role. They had undertaken appropriate generic training and where specific needs were identified, they undertook further training to be able to meet them. 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; People were respected and valued as individuals and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service. The service was proactive in tackling discrimination, especially on grounds of mental health and learning disability.

The service had a comprehensive understanding of how to keep people safe, and staff delivered safe care, ensuring the safety and welfare of the people they supported. Risks associated with people’s care were assessed and monitored, and any environmental risks were identified, reviewed and well managed.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence, and the service recognised that these principles apply to all the people who used the service. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

Rating at last inspection.

The last rating for this service was Good (published 6 December 2016)

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Care Direct Salford on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.

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