7 January 2016
During a routine inspection
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.