Archived: Brighton Community Care Services DCA

Updated 13 October 2015

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 was 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.

The inspection began with a visit to the services office which took place on 17 August 2015 and was announced. Forty eight hours’ notice of the inspection was given to ensure that the people we needed to speak to were available. We then contacted people, relatives and care workers by telephone on the 18, 19, 20, 21 and 24 August, to obtain their views and feedback. Following the feedback we received from people and their relatives, we decided to return to the office on the 2 September 2015 to follow up on the feedback provided and explore concerns raised.

The inspection team comprised of 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 service. The expert by experience helped us with the telephone calls to get feedback from people and their relatives.

We spoke with 27 and relatives by telephone along with 7 staff members. On the first day of the office inspection, we spoke with the registered manager and one field care supervisor. Over the course of the day we spent time reviewing the records of the service. We looked at six staff files, complaints recording, accident/incident and safeguarding recording, staff rotas and records of audit, quality control and feedback from people and staff. We also reviewed seven care plans and other relevant documentation to support our findings. On our return to the office on the 2 September 2015, we spoke with the registered manager and looked at five care plans along with rotas, complaints and daily notes.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. We considered information which had been shared from the local authority, and looked at safeguarding alerts that had been made and notifications which had been submitted. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information return (PIR). A PIR 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 utilised the PIR to help us focus on specific areas of practice during the inspection. As part of the PIR, questionnaires were sent out to people who used the service, their relatives, care workers and healthcare professionals. We received responses from eight people receiving care, three care workers, one relative and one healthcare professional. We have included their feedback within the body of the report.

Brighton Community Care Services DCA was last inspected in November 2013 where we had no concerns.

Updated 13 October 2015

We inspected Brighton Community Care Services DCA on the 17 August and 2 September 2015 and it was an announced inspection. Forty eight hours’ notice of the inspection was given to ensure that the people we needed to speak to were available. Brighton Community Care Services DCA is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care for a range of people living in their own homes. These included people living with dementia, older people, people with a physical disability, substance misuse and people with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection, the service was supporting up to 120 people and employed 60 members of staff.

The service also provided care and support to people in extra care housing (Vernon Gardens). Vernon Gardens is an independent living scheme accommodating nine people aged between 22 – 50 years old living with a physical disability. Care workers provided care in block hours and supported people to live autonomous, independent lives. Care and support was also provided to a supported living scheme in Burgess Hill for three people with a learning disability.

Brighton Community Care Services DCA belongs to the large corporate organisation Care UK but is currently in the process of being brought by the organisation Mears UK.

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.

People spoke highly of the service. One person told us, “I think they are wonderful.” Another person told us, “I would rate them as excellent for me.” A relative told us, “(Person) has very complex and intense needs that get met at Vernon Gardens. It’s a service that is unique and very valuable.” However, some people expressed concerns with communication within the service. One person told us, “I do have one care worker who is regular but if he is not here its murder and I don’t know who is calling.” Another person told us, “The rosters are not always good enough.” People also felt continuity of care staff could be improved. One person told us, “It’s just not a good timing situation. One regular care worker stopped calling and now we almost get different ones each day.” People also advised that if care staff were running late, they were not consistently informed. We have therefore identified the above as areas of practice that need improvement.

Systems were in place to protect people from abuse and harm and staff knew how to use them. Care workers understood the needs of the people they were supporting and had received training on safeguarding adults.

Care workers received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and support needs. The registered manager and office staff undertook unannounced spot checks to ensure training was embedded into practice.

Appropriate and timely action was taken to address people’s complaints or dissatisfaction with the service provided. One person told us, “They take complaints seriously.” There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Mechanisms were in place to ensure people did not experience missed care visits. Care workers were expected to use the telephone monitoring system to enable people to receive their care visits on time.

People had individual care plans which were personalised to them. Information was clearly available on the level of support required, their daily routine and what was important to them. Care plans were also available in picture format and people in supported living had individualised health passports. People received the support they required with their medicines

Care workers respected people’s privacy and dignity. People and their relatives were encouraged to express their views on the service and to provide feedback on the service in various ways both formally and informally. Systems of audits, surveys and reviews were used to good effect in monitoring performance and managing risks.

People were assured that care workers had been appropriately recruited as their employment procedures protected people by employing care workers that were suited to the job. There were sufficient numbers of care workers that had the skills they needed to provide people with safe care and support.