Dudley Crossroads

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.

Dudley Crossroads is registered to provide personal care services to people in their own homes. People who use the services may have a physical disability or sensory impairment. On the day of the inspection there were 17 people receiving a sitting respite support service from in their home, this also involved providing personal care support where needed. There was a registered manager in post. 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 using the service told us they felt safe. Care staff we spoke with knew how to keep people safe and the actions they would take where people were at risk of harm. Care staff were only required to remind people to take their medicines and their relatives managed all their medicine requirements.

We found that while people all had capacity and did not fall within the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) requirements, the provider was aware to the act and it requirements and staff received training. People’s consent was being sought by care staff. People’s dignity, privacy and independence was being respected.

Care staff received the appropriate support to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. There was sufficient care staff so people’s needs could be met how they wanted.

The appropriate assessment of people’s needs were being carried out and a care plan was in place which people were involved in devising. Where decisions needed to be made people were involved in the process and reviews were carried out in line with people’s wishes.

People were able to share any concerns they had by way of the provider’s complaints procedure.

The provider carried out quality assurance checks and audits to ensure the appropriate service standards were being met.

People were able to share their views on the service they received.

We found that people's consent was sought and that people were in full agreement to care workers going into their home to provide support to their relative whilst enabling them to have a break. One person told us, 'Care workers deliver proper care for the carer and the benefits to my relative are enormous. She enjoys social time out with the care worker and I have a break'.

We saw that people's needs were assessed and support plans were developed with them. People told us that care workers understood their needs and supported their relative in the way they wanted. One person told us, 'Without this service I would not have a break and we would both be isolated, it's a god send'.

People told us that care workers were reliable and consistent and they were confident their needs were met. Staff told us they were confident people had the support they needed when they needed it. One care worker said, 'This is the best agency I have worked for we have proper time to do the things people want us to do'.

We found that systems had been used to monitor how the service was run and people had been encouraged to provide their comments.

All of the people we spoke with said that they felt very involved in the planning of their care. They told us that they had been consulted about their preferences. One said, 'They don't tell her what to do, she tells them and they help her to do it'.

Systems were in place to protect vulnerable people. Staff had training in safeguarding issues and records confirmed this. Staff we spoke with had a very good understanding of what may constitute adult abuse and knew what the reporting procedures were.

Staff had regular supervision meetings with their managers. Staff had a good understanding of people's needs and what they needed to do to meet them. A staff member said, 'The training is extensive and management are very supportive'.There were effective recruitment and selection processes in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work.

People we spoke with were confident that they could raise concerns if they were not happy with the care being received. We saw that complaints had been dealt with effectively and in a timely manner.