Archived: Age Concern Faversham

Updated 3 March 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 2 February 2016, was announced, and carried out by one inspector. 48 hours’ notice was given of the inspection because the registered manager was often out of the office supporting staff. We needed them to be available during the inspection.

Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed notifications we had received and previous inspection reports. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

We telephoned ten people to ask them about their views and experiences of receiving care. We sent surveys to people, relatives, professionals and staff. We spoke with three staff during the inspection, which included the registered manager and telephoned seven staff members to interview them.

We looked at records held by the provider. These included ten people’s care records, risk assessments, staff rotas, five staff recruitment records, meeting minutes, policies and procedures.

We contacted health and social care professionals to obtain feedback about their experience of the service.

This was the first inspection since registration as Age UK Faversham and Sittingbourne, in March 2014.

Updated 3 March 2016

We inspected the service on 2 February 2016. This inspection was announced.

Age Concern Faversham is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care to older people, including people with dementia and physical disabilities. The agency provides care for people in the Faversham area and the office is situated in Faversham. There were 110 people receiving support to meet their personal care needs on the day we inspected.

The service had a registered manager. 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 views about the service they received were positive. People told us staff were kind, caring and communicated well with them. Communication between staff within the service was good.

The service had suitable processes in place to safeguard people from different forms of abuse. Staff had been trained in safeguarding people and in the agency’s whistleblowing policy. Staff were confident that they could raise any matters of concern with the provider, the registered manager, or the local authority safeguarding team. Staff were trained in how to respond in an emergency (such as a fire, or if the person collapsed) to protect people from harm.

The registered manager and staff had received training about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and understood when and how to support peoples best interests if they lacked capacity to make certain decisions about their care.

People were able to express their opinions and views. The registered manager involved people in planning their care by assessing their needs on their first visit to the person, and then by asking people if they were happy with the care they received. The senior care staff then provided the first week of support before allocating to care staff. There was a strong emphasis on person centred care. People were supported to plan their support and they received a service that was based on their personal needs and wishes. The service was flexible and responded positively to changes in people’s needs.

The registered manager and senior staff carried out risk assessments when they visited people for the first time. Other assessments identified people’s specific health and care needs, their mental health needs, medicines management, and any equipment needed. Care was planned and agreed between the service and the individual person concerned. People were supported by their family members to discuss their care needs, if this was their choice to do so.

People were supported with meal planning, preparation and eating and drinking. Staff supported people, by contacting the office to alert the registered manager to any identified health needs so that their doctor or nurse could be informed.

People were supported and helped to maintain their health and to access health services when they needed them.

There were suitable numbers of staff available to meet people’s needs, and people were informed if their planned care had been allocated to another member of staff.

The service had robust recruitment practices in place. Applicants for post were assessed as suitable for their job roles. All staff received induction training which included essential subjects such as maintaining confidentiality, moving and handling, safeguarding people and infection control. New staff worked alongside experienced staff and had their competency assessed before they were allowed to work on their own. Refresher training was provided at regular intervals. Staff had been trained to administer medicines safely. Staff received regular support and supervision from the registered manager.

People said that they knew they could contact the registered manager or senior staff at any time and they felt confident about raising any concerns or other issues. The registered manager and senior staff carried out spot checks to assess care staff’s work and procedures, with people’s prior agreement.

The service had processes in place to monitor the delivery of the service. As well as talking to the registered manager and team leaders at spot checks, people could phone the office at any time, or speak to the senior person on duty for out of hours calls. People’s view and experiences were sought through review meetings and through surveys.

Incidents and accidents were recorded and checked by the registered manager to see what steps could be taken to prevent these happening again. Risks were assessed and the steps taken to minimise them were understood by staff. The registered manager ensured that they had planned for foreseeable emergencies, such as severe weather conditions, so that should they happen, people’s care needs would continue to be met.

People told us that the service was well run. Staff were positive about the support they received from the registered manager. They felt they could raise concerns and they would be listened to. Audit systems were in place to ensure that care and support met people’s needs.

People’s information was treated confidentially. People’s paper records were stored securely in locked filing cabinets.