Archived: Cordant Care - Manchester

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.

At the time of the inspection, Prime Time Recruitment - Manchester provided personal care to less than five people. We were unable to speak with these people, although we noted that the provider made contact with them to inform them of our inspection. We have asked the provider to share this inspection report with the people who used the service and consider how they can support these people in sharing their experience with us.

We found that the provider had made improvements to records related to people who used the service, such as care plans, medication administration records, and risk assessments. Records were accurate and dated. Employee files demonstrated that the provider had collected and reviewed required information before employees started work. The provider had assessed the risk of employing people with criminal records.

We were able to speak to three staff. Staff spoke confidently about the needs of people using the service. Staff said they were happy with the support from the provider. We saw that the provider had made a number of changes to the service as a result of the last inspection. The changes included improved risk assessments on some care files, monthly reviews of compliance, and investigations into incidents.

Despite these improvements, we found that care plans did not adequate reflect people's individual risks. We saw that staff did not always follow instructions from medical professionals or adequately document when administering medication. We saw that the provider did not collect adequate information about people before employing them. We found that records were not always fit for purpose or destroyed securely when no longer needed.