Archived: Alzheimer's Society - Kent and Medway

Updated 10 January 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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 was carried out on 13 December 2016. We gave short notice of our inspection to ensure people we needed to speak with were available. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

The manager had received and completed a Provider Information Return (PIR) at the time of our visit. The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and what improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we made the judgements in this report. Before our inspection we looked at records that were sent to us by the registered manager to inform us of significant changes and events. We also reviewed our previous inspection report.

We spoke with the operations manager, the registered manager, the deputy manager and four support workers. People who received support with personal care were not available to converse with us over the phone. We spoke with three of their relatives to obtain their feedback about their experience of the service. We also spoke with a local authority case manager who had referred a person to the service.

We looked at records which included those related to people’s care, staff management, staff recruitment and quality of the service. We looked at four people’s assessments of needs and support plans. We looked at the satisfaction surveys that had been carried out and at the services’ policies and procedures.

At our last inspection on 10 December 2013 no concerns had been identified.

Updated 10 January 2017

The inspection was announced and was carried out on 13 December 2016. The Alzheimer's Society- Kent & Medway provides care and support to adults who wish to retain their independence in their own home. It provides a wide range of support services to adults who live with dementia, and their carers. This includes dementia and community support services, a day care service and dementia café service, which are not regulated by the CQC. Alzheimer's Society - Kent and Medway is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide the regulated activity of personal care. Fifty-five people received support at the time of our inspection, four of whom received help with personal care. Our inspection focused only on the provision of this regulated activity.

There was a registered manager who had been in post for over a year. 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.

Staff were trained in how to protect people from abuse and harm. They were aware of the procedures to follow in case of abuse or suspicion of abuse.

Risk assessments were centred on the needs of the individual. They included clear measures to reduce identified risks and guidance for staff to follow to make sure people were protected from harm. There was a system in place to record and monitor accidents and incidents to identify how risks of re-occurrence could be reduced.

There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs. Staffing levels were calculated according to people’s changing needs and ensured continuity of one to one support. Thorough recruitment practice was followed to ensure staff were suitable for their role.

Records relevant to the administration or the prompting of medicines were monitored. This ensured medicines were taken by people safely according to their individual needs.

Staff knew each person well and understood how to meet their support needs. Each person’s needs and personal preferences had been assessed before any support was provided. This ensured that staff could support people in a way that met their particular needs and wishes.

Staff had received all training relevant to their role and had the opportunity to receive further training specific to the needs of the people they supported. They received regular one to one supervision sessions to support them in their role.

Staff were trained in the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and were knowledgeable about the requirements of the legislation. A system was in place to assess people’s mental capacity about specific decisions when appropriate.

Staff sought and obtained people’s consent before they provided support. Staff promoted people’s independence and encouraged them to do as much as possible for themselves.

Staff used inclusive methods of communication. Relatives told us that staff communicated effectively with people, responded to their needs promptly and treated them with kindness and respect. Relatives told us that people were satisfied with how their support was provided. Clear information about the service, the management, and how to complain was provided to people.

People’s individual support plans included their likes and dislikes; they reflected how people wanted their support to be delivered. People’s support plans were reviewed regularly with their participation or their representatives’ involvement. They were updated when people’s needs changed to make sure they received the support they needed.

The provider took account of people’s comments and suggestions. People’s views were sought and acted upon. The provider sent questionnaires regularly to people, analysed the results and action was taken in response to people’s views.

Staff told us they felt valued and supported under the manager’s leadership. The manager notified the Care Quality Commission of any significant events that affected people or the service. Comprehensive quality assurance checks were carried out to identify how the service could improve and action was taken to implement improvements.