Renai Support Services

Updated 19 October 2018

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 was a comprehensive inspection carried out by one adult social care inspector on 4 and 11 September 2018. We notified the provider we would be carrying out the inspection 24 hours before the first day of inspection. We gave the service notice of the inspection visit because the location provides a domiciliary care service for younger adults who are often out during the day. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

Prior to the inspection we reviewed information we held on our systems about the service. This included the Provider Information Record (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the home, what the home does well and improvements they plan to make. We also looked at statutory notifications sent in by the service. A statutory notification contains information about significant events, which the provider is required to send to us by law.

During the inspection, we met all the people receiving personal care from the provider and spoke with one of them. We were not able to speak to others receiving personal care as they did not have verbal communication skills. However, we spent time with them in communal areas observing the care they received. We also spoke with one relative by phone to gather their views about the care provided to their family member.

We met and spoke with the registered manager and four staff during the inspection. We reviewed care records, medicine administration records and the daily notes for the four people receiving personal care. We also reviewed other records relating to the running of the service, including staff rotas, training records, minutes of meetings and quality monitoring records.

After the inspection we spoke with two relatives. We also contacted a health and social care team who support people and two health professionals. We received feedback from two of professionals.

Updated 19 October 2018

Renai Support Services provides personal care and support to people living in supported living in Torquay and East Devon. Supported living is defined as situations where people live in their own home and receive care and/or support which helps to promote their independence. At the time of our inspection, personal care and support was being provided to four people living in one house in Torquay. The personal care provided to people was 24-hour support with a set number of hours per week allocated as one-to-one care.

Renai Support Services also provides enablement support to other people living in the same house and elsewhere. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is only authorised to inspect the personal care services provided. The inspection therefore did not look at the care provided to people who received enablement.

Rating at last inspection

At our last inspection we rated the service as Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Why the service is rated Good

People were supported by caring staff who understood the care each person required to ensure they were kept safe. People’s care needs had been assessed when they first received care from Renai staff; care plans were reviewed regularly and involved the person and their family. Where risks, needs or preferences changed, care plans were amended to ensure the care was still safe and maintained people’s quality of life.

Staff showed genuine care and compassion when working with people. People and their families were very positive about the care provided. Staff supported people to be as independent as possible by doing activities both inside and outside the home. Staff also supported people’s rights to privacy, dignity and family life. Staff worked within the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

There were sufficient staff to help people receive care in a relaxed and calming environment. Staff spent time understanding and delivering care to people, some of whom were not able to communicate verbally. Staff were able to describe, and demonstrate, how they used a variety of communication methods which were tailored to each person’s requirements.

People were helped to stay healthy and well. Staff supported people to have a healthy diet and ensured, where necessary, health professionals were consulted and involved in the person’s care.

Staff were recruited and trained to ensure the care provided was safe. Training included how to support people with specific conditions such as epilepsy. Staff were also supervised and supported by the registered manager.

Medicines were received, stored, administered and recorded following national good guidance and practice.

The registered manager was also a director of the provider organisation. They understood their role and worked with people, family and staff to consider and implement improvements to the service. This included considering lessons that could be learned when things went wrong. There was a complaints policy and procedure which supported people and their families to raise concerns. The service had met the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 by submitting information when requested to the Care Quality Commission and displaying their last inspection rating.