Archived: 24/7 Staffing Support Ltd

We carried out an announced inspection of this service on 27 January 2017. Four breaches of legal requirements were found and we rated the service as 'Requires Improvement'. This was because the provider had failed to: submit statutory notifications when required; ensure people’s medicines were administered safely; ensure people’s consent was sought before offering care; and operate effective systems to assess, monitor and improve the service, and mitigate risks to the health, safety and welfare of the people using it.

In response the provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet their legal requirements in relation to the breaches. At this inspection we found that action had been taken and all the breaches had been met and we found improvements had been made to the service.

24/7 Staffing Support Ltd provides personal care and support to people in their own homes in Northampton and the surrounding areas. At the time of this inspection 12 people received personal care from the service.

The service does not have a registered manager. 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. The provider said they had identified a person and began the process to register them.

We received positive comments about the service people received. People’s relatives told us they were pleased with the service and the provider and staff listened to them, wanted to hear their views, and kept them informed about the service. Relatives said the provider and staff were approachable and they were kept up-to-date with their family member’s progress and any changes or developments at the service.

Medicines were managed safely and people told us they received them at the right times. Staff were trained to administer medicines safely and medicines records were audited to ensure they were of an acceptable standard.

The service provided safe care. Staff were trained in safeguarding (protecting people from abuse) and knew how to keep people safe. Staff provided people with the care and support they required and encouraged them and their relatives to be an active part of the care planning process.

Care plans and risk assessments were personalised; people’s relatives told us they were involved in helping their relatives make decisions about their care and had access to their care plans.

The provider’s recruitment procedure, which helped to ensure the staff employed were safe to work with the people using the service, had been followed.

Staff ensured people were having enough to eat and drink and treated people with dignity and respect.

The provider’s complaints procedure had been followed. People who raised concerns had been listened to, told the outcome of their complaint and what was being done to improve the service in response.

The provider and registered manager carried out audits of all aspects of the service to ensure it was well-led. People and their relatives were encouraged to provide their views and opinions of the service. Statutory notifications were submitted to the CQC when required and these showed that the staff had taken appropriate action to safeguard people when incidents had occurred.

There was not 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. The provider was in the process of registering with us as the manager since the last registered manager left.

Medicines were not always administered safely to people, and records and policies for staff needed to offer clarity to ensure everyone was aware of their responsibilities.

Where people did not have the capacity to make some decisions, suitable systems were not in place to ensure these decisions had been made in people’s best interest. The provider and staff needed training in this area to ensure they followed the requirements under law regarding this.

There were some audits in place but there were no systems in place to monitor the quality of the service or identify where improvements could be made. Some incidents which met the criteria for referral or discussion with the local safeguarding authority had been investigated but not reported to us as required.

People’s care was planned to meet their needs. Potential risks were identified and management plans were in place to guide staff on the best way to reduce the risks. Staff understood their role in protecting people from harm and poor care. There were recruitment procedures in place to ensure staff were suitable to work within a caring environment.

Staff had access to training to improve their knowledge of care and enhance their skills. Staff sought people’s consent before providing care and supported people when they needed help with their decision making.

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff supported people to maintain their dignity, independence and privacy. Staff gained information about what was important to people so that they could provide care which met their preferences.

People were provided with information about raising concerns or complaints and were happy to speak with staff about their worries. People were given opportunities to share their views.

We found breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and the Registration Regulations 2009. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.