Archived: North West Wiltshire - Kennet and Mendip

Updated 8 December 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 15 and 16 September 2016. The provider was given 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure staff were available at the agency office.

The inspection was conducted by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. Before the inspection, the provider completed 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 information we hold about the service, including previous inspection reports and notifications sent to us by the provider. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us.

We contacted people and relatives by phone and used questionnaires to gain their feedback from about their experiences of the agency. We gained feedback from staff who had completed questionnaires and we also spoke to two members of staff, the registered manager, deputy and the provider. We looked at records about the management of the service.

Updated 8 December 2016

This inspection took place on the 15 and 16 September and the provider was given short notice of the inspection. We gave notice to make sure the staff and or registered manager was at the office. The previous inspection took place in March 2014 where all standards inspected were met.

North West Wiltshire - Kennet and Mendip provides personal care and support to people in their own home.

A registered manager was 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.

Risk management systems were not always effective. Members of staff we spoke with described the measures in place to minimise risk. However, not all risks were assessed. Risks were not assessed for people with medical conditions which require well balanced meals and for people with poor appetite. Along with the risk assessments the person’s capacity to make decisions about their eating and drinking were not undertaken. Risk management systems were to be improved for people with high dependency needs.

Quality assurance systems were to be developed to incorporate better monitoring of people at higher risk. Systems were audited to ensure the standards of care were met and to identity patterns and trends. The views of people and their relatives about the agency were gathered and acted upon.

People with capacity to make decisions gave their consent for staff to deliver care and treatment. Where there were lasting power of attorney’s appointed they also signed consent forms for care and treatment.

People told us they felt safe when staff were present. The staff we spoke with were able to describe the procedures for safeguarding vulnerable people from abuse. They knew the types of abuse and the expectations placed on them to report abuse.

Recruitment procedures ensured the staff employed were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. New staff received an induction to prepare them for the role they were employed to perform. Training courses were available monthly for staff to attend. Staff told us the agency training programme was good and they were able to meet people’s specific needs. Training records evidenced the staff attended mandatory training set by the provider and other specific training such as dementia awareness and vocational qualifications.

The agency was fully staffed and offered continuity of care to people. People had their personal care delivered from the same regular staff which meant people received care that was consistent. People told us staff mostly arrived on time and stayed the allocated visit times.

People were supported with their ongoing health. Where appropriate healthcare visits were arranged while staff were present to ensure correct guidance was delivered to the staff.

Care plans had some person centred elements but action plans lacked detail on how staff were to meet the desired outcomes detailed. Care plan templates that assisted staff with developing plans which included the person’s preferences were to be introduced.