14 August 2017
During a routine inspection
The manager had applied to become a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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. This was the first inspection since the provider registered with CQC on 14 September 2015.
The provider did not always ensure that risks to people were managed effectively. Staff did not always have appropriate guidance in how to support people safely. This was identified as an area of practice that required improvement.
Management systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service but these were not always effective in identifying shortfalls and omissions. This was identified as an area of practice that needed to improve.
People told us that having the service helped them to feel safe in their home. One person said, “I know when they are coming and if I have had a bad night it makes me feel safer knowing they are coming in the morning.” There were enough staff to cover all calls and people said that their calls were never missed.
Staff had a clear understanding of their responsibilities with regard to keeping people safe. People received the medicines they needed safely.
Staff received the training and support they needed. There were robust communication systems in place. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and to access health care services when they needed to.
People said that they received a consistent service from regular staff members who knew them well. One person said, “We are very happy with the care, it has been wonderful.” People were involved in developing their care plans. Staff offered people choices and supported them to retain their independence. Staff had a firm understanding about how to promote dignity and people described a caring approach that helped them to feel comfortable when being supported.
Staff were responsive to changes in people’s needs and provided a flexible service. People were receiving personalised care and staff respected their choices. Care plans contained relevant details that supported staff to provide a personalised service.
There was clear leadership and people and staff spoke highly of the manager describing them as approachable and friendly. One person said, “I think it (the service) is very well managed indeed.”
We found one breach of the regulations. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.