Dudley Crossroads

Updated 11 July 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.

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 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 19 June 2019 and ended on 20 June 2019. We visited the office location on 19 June 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included information about deaths, accidents/incidents and safeguarding alerts which they are required to send us by law. We sought feedback from commissioning organisations 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 two people over the telephone. We spoke with two members of the care staff, the registered manager and the care coordinator. We reviewed the records for three people being supported by the service, staff rotas, supervision schedule, records of competency checks, the providers survey results, and audits of the quality of the service.

Updated 11 July 2019

About the service

Dudley Crossroads is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. On the day of the inspection, three people were receiving support.

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.

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

People were supported to stay safe in their own homes. People received consistent care from longstanding staff who had worked with them several years. People’s care was arranged to provide a sitting service to enable the main family carer some respite. During these focused visits, staff followed people’s usual care routines and supported people with any potential risks to their safety. Staff were recruited in a safe way. The service did not provide support with medicines, this responsibility was retained by them and their family carer.

People described the support they had as effective with a focus on their specific needs, such as providing companionship and support in the absence of their family carer. Staff received training and support to meet people’s needs. People’s meals and healthcare needs remained the responsibility of the family carer. However, staff understood how to support people to maintain their health.

People were supported to have choice and control over their lives and staff understood that they should support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff ensured that people’s privacy and dignity was maintained.

People's care was planned with them in response to their needs and preferences. The arrangements for care and support were tailored to them to include longer duration and shorter frequency of visits by staff. This ensured the service was responding to people’s needs in a way they needed. People spoke positively about the service and were confident any complaints would be managed appropriately.

Quality monitoring systems included audits and checks on people’s satisfaction with the service they received. People described the service as consistently well run and responsive to their needs.

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 27 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.