Rotherham Regional Office

Updated 27 October 2017

The inspection included a visit to the agency’s office on 13 and 28 September 2017. To make sure key staff were available to assist in the inspection the provider was given short notice of the visit, as in line with our current methodology for inspecting domiciliary care agencies. An adult social care inspector conducted the inspection.

To help us to plan and identify areas to focus on in the inspection we considered all the information we held about the service. Before the inspection, the provider had completed 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 looked at information we held on the service and requested the views of other agencies that worked with the service such as service commissioners. We also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

At the time of the inspection there were 11 people using the service. We spoke on the telephone with two people who used the service and the parents of five people being supported by the service. We also considered the content of questionnaires returned to the registered provider. We spoke with the registered manager, regional director, acting manager, two team managers, the training and development manager and four care workers employed by the agency.

We looked at documentation relating to people who used the service and staff, as well as the management of the service. This included reviewing two people’s care records, including their, medication records, staff recruitment, training and support files, as well as minutes of meetings, quality audits and records demonstrating how the registered provider had gained people’s views about the service provision.

Updated 27 October 2017

The Rotherham branch of Eden supported living provides personal care to people living in the community. The Rotherham Regional Office is situated near to Rotherham town centre. Personal care is provided to people accommodated in supported living environments in the Rotherham and Dinnington area. Support packages are flexible and based on people’s individual need. The service also supports people who do not receive personal care.

The inspection took place on 13 and 28 September 2017 with the provider being given short notice of the visit to the office in line with our current methodology for inspecting community services. The service was previously inspected in April 2015 when no breaches of legal requirements were identified and the service was given a rating of ‘Good’. At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for “Rotherham Regional Office” on our website at www.cqc.org.uk’.

The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. However, the current registered manager had been promoted within the company and an acting manager had been recruited in June 2017. They told us they would be applying to register with CQC in the near future.

At the time of our inspection there were 11 people using the service who received personal care. We spoke on the telephone with two people who used the service and the parents of five people. When we asked them about their experiences of using the service they told us they were happy with the support staff provided, and overall were satisfied with how the service operated.

Systems were in place to keep people safe while maintaining their independence, People told us staff helped to make sure the environment was safe for people to live in, and supported them to access the community safely.

People’s needs had been assessed before their care package commenced and where possible they, and the relatives, had been involved in formulating their support plans. Care records identified people’s needs and preferences, as well as any risks associated with their care. Changes in their needs had been identified, and support plans amended to meet any changing needs or circumstances.

Where people needed assistance taking their medication this was administered in a timely way by staff who had been trained to carry out this role.

The service employed enough staff to meet the needs of people being supported. However, changes at the service had led to some staff being moved to different locations on a permanent or temporary basis to ensure the correct skill mix was available at each property. One parent told us they had raised this with staff as a concern. Managers told us the disruption had been kept to a minimum, but they would take into account people’s comments.

Robust recruitment procedures ensured the right staff were employed to meet people’s needs safely. Staff received training to administer medications safely both in their own homes and in the residential care home. New staff had completed a structured induction when they joined the service, followed by various specialist and refresher training.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Information about how to raise concerns was available, including in a pictorial [easy to read and understand] format. Complaints had been appropriately addressed and the majority of people told us they were confident that any concerns they raised would be dealt with swiftly.

The registered manager and the acting manager had a clear oversight of the service, and of the people who used it. People were encouraged to share their views about the quality of the care provided, to help drive up standards and influence change. Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor how the service operated and identify areas for improvement. This also gave the service an opportunity to learn from events and improve the service for people.