Archived: Interserve Healthcare - Nottingham

Updated 7 April 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 7 January 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete 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 received this information as requested. We also checked the information that we held about the service and the service provider and contacted commissioners (who fund the care for some people) of the service and asked them for their views.

We spoke with three people who received a service from Interserve Healthcare – Nottingham by telephone and three relatives. When visiting the agency office we spoke with the deputy manager, a care consultant, a nurse and a care worker. The registered manager was not available on the day of our inspection. We spoke to a further two care workers by telephone. We also sent a survey to staff and people who used the service about their experiences and received four responses.

We reviewed a range of records about people’s care. These included the care records for four people and three medicine administration records (MARs). We reviewed other records relating to the management of the service such as quality assurance audits, minutes of meetings with people and staff, the employment records of three members of staff and the findings from questionnaires the provider had sent to people.

Updated 7 April 2016

The inspection was announced and took place on 7 January 2016. Interserve Healthcare – Nottingham is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care and support to adults and children, in their own homes. Some of the people using the service had complex healthcare needs and the frequency of visits depended on people’s individual requirements. Visits ranged from short visits to 24 hour care. On the day of our inspection 12 people were using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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 were kept safe by staff who had a thorough understanding of their responsibilities with regard to protecting people they were caring for from harm or abuse.

People’s needs were met and they were cared for by sufficient numbers of staff. The risks to people were identified and addressed and regularly reviewed to ensure people remained safe. People received their medicines as prescribed and the management of medicines was safe.

Staff had a full understanding of people’s care needs and had the skills and knowledge to meet them. People received consistent support for care workers who knew them well. People felt safe and secure when receiving care from well trained staff.

People were encouraged to make independent decisions and staff had an excellent understanding of legislation to protect people who lacked capacity to make their own decisions. The legislation was applied in the service and we found that the service was proactive in ensuring that people’s rights were respected.

People received the support they required to meet their nutritional needs. Staff were knowledgeable about how to support people with their nutrition and in the use of equipment if required. People were supported with their healthcare needs by nurses employed by the service and referrals were made to healthcare professionals when needed.

People had positive relationships with their care workers and were confident in the service. There was a strong value base in the service to ensure that workers were caring and compassionate. People who used the service felt they were treated with kindness and said that their privacy and dignity were always respected.

People, who used the service, or their representatives, were actively encouraged to contribute to the planning of their care. Innovative methods were used to communicate with people who used the service and their families to promote involvement in care planning and delivery. People who used the service felt able to make requests and express their opinions and views which were acted upon.

People, or their representatives, were actively encouraged to provide feedback on the service and staff worked well as a team in an open and supportive manner. Staff felt fully supported and motivated by the management team to provide a high quality service to people.

The registered manager and the provider had a good understanding of effective quality assurance systems. There were processes in place to monitor quality and understand the experiences of people who used the service in order to drive improvements within the service.