Complex Intervention Service

Updated 10 June 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by 1 inspector and 2 Experts by Experience completed telephone calls to people using the service and/or their relatives. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

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

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 21 April 2023 and ended on 28 April 2023. We visited the location’s office on 21 and 28 April 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered with the Care Quality Commission in 2022. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return [PIR] in January 2023. This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager and care coordinators. We reviewed 5 people’s care files and 4 staff personnel files. We looked at the provider’s arrangements for managing risk and medicines management, staff training, induction, and supervision data. We also looked at the service’s quality assurance arrangements.

Following the inspection, the Experts by Experience spoke with 7 people who use the service and 7 people’s relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 4 members of staff about their employment and what it is like to be employed by Southend Care Limited.

Updated 10 June 2023

About the service

Complex Intervention Service is a domiciliary care service providing the regulated activity of personal care. The service provides reablement support and short-term assessment to people living in their own houses, flats and within specialist housing schemes for up to 6 weeks.

At the time of our inspection there were 96 people using the service. 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. The provider confirmed 72 people were in receipt of the regulated activity of personal care.

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

Enough numbers of staff were available to support people safely, but concerns were raised that there were no set or estimated call times when staff visited. This meant people could not be assured what time staff would arrive. The majority of risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were assessed and recorded. Improvements were required to ensure all risks were recorded. People’s care and support needs were documented. However, more detail was required to make these more person-centred and to include clear information for staff of the care to be delivered. The registered manager provided an assurance these areas would be addressed. We have made a recommendation about staffing, risk management and care planning.

People told us they were safe and had no concerns about their safety. Suitable arrangements were in place to protect people from abuse and avoidable harm. Staff understood how to raise concerns and knew what to do to safeguard people. Appropriate arrangements were in place to ensure people received their medication, records were maintained to a good standard and staff appropriately trained. Staff recruitment and selection practices and procedures were robust. People were protected by the service’s prevention and control of infection arrangements.

Suitable arrangements were in place to ensure staff were trained and newly appointed staff received a robust induction. Staff felt valued and supported by the registered manager and organisation. People's dietary needs were met. The service worked collaboratively with others and ensured people had access to healthcare services when needed. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Relatives confirmed their family member was treated with care, kindness, respect, and dignity. Relatives were consistently reassuring about staffs caring attitude, confirming there were positive interactions with staff. People told us the service was well managed. Quality assurance arrangements enabled the provider and registered manager to monitor the quality of the service provided and staff performance.

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 the service at the previous premises was outstanding, published on 19 October 2019. The overall rating for the service has changed from outstanding to good, based on the findings of this inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.