Archived: Cordant Care - Manchester

Updated 9 August 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 28 June 2016. The inspection was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice before we visited the office. As the service provides care to people in their own homes and is operated from a central office, we needed to be sure that staff and management would be on the premises during the inspection. The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector.

Before we carried out this inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included the provider completing 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 reviewed past inspection reports, notifications, safeguarding concerns and details of the service’s registration.

As part of our planning for the inspection, we had asked the local authority if they had had any information to share with us about the care provided by the service.

On the day of our inspection we spoke with the registered manager, two care workers and visited one person in their home and spoke one other person over the telephone. We looked at four records relating to the care of individuals, staff training and recruitment records and records relating to the running of the service.

Updated 9 August 2016

We inspected Cordant Care – Manchester on 28 June 2016. Our last inspection took place February 2014. At that time we found the service met the standards we inspected against.

Cordant Care – Manchester, is a Community based adult social care service registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection eight people were receiving services. Some of them needed short visits at key times of the day, for example in the morning to help them get up or to participate in activities. Other people, with more complex needs, received 24-hour care.

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 told us they felt safe using the service and trusted the staff who supported them. People commented, “I trust the staff; I am very happy with my support.”

Staff had received training concerning the issue of recognising and reporting abuse. They knew how to report any concerns and were confident that any allegations made would be fully investigated to keep people protected. Risk assessments were in place, providing information about how to reduce the risks people might face, including their home environment and the level of support needed to support them with day to day tasks. Medicines were administered in a safe way.

There were enough suitably trained and qualified staff to meet people’s assessed needs. Staff were employed according to robust recruitment procedures. Pre-recruitment checks had been made to help ensure that new staff were suitable to support people in their own homes and to maintain people’s safety.

The service worked with other care providers to help meet people’s needs. People said they felt involved in their care and were given opportunities to make choices regarding their care and support. Staff understood the principles of consent and delivering individualised care. People described staff as caring and kind. They also told us that staff knew their needs, providing them with the support that they expected.

The registered manager and staff had a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They were knowledgeable about protecting legal rights of people who did not have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves. Where people did not have the capacity to make certain decisions, the service acted in accordance with legal requirements. If decisions had to be made on a person’s behalf, they were made in their best interest at a meeting involving professionals and family if appropriate.

People also said they were treated with dignity and respect. The staff said they were happy in their roles and felt supported. The provider promoted an open culture where both staff and people using the service could raise concerns without fear of being frowned upon. People knew how to complain and felt their complaints would be investigated and responded to.