Skipton Care at Home

Updated 25 January 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority commissioning and safeguarding teams. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with the chief executive, director of care services, quality manager, registered manager, a senior care worker and two care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

We also spoke on the telephone with one person and two relatives.

After the inspection

We requested further information from the registered manager to validate the evidence found. This was received, and the information was used as part of our inspection.

Updated 25 January 2020

About the service

Skipton Care at Home operates within the Abbeyfield Independent Living with Extra Care complex,

situated near to Skipton town centre. The service is part of an integrated care scheme providing supported living for people in their own individual flats, providing a 24-hour service. At the time of the inspection the agency was supporting ten people.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were safe. There were systems in place to reduce the risk of harm. Staff were recruited safely, and people received their scheduled calls in a timely manner. Staff had received medicines training and there were plans in place to introduce assessments of staff’s competency to administer people’s medicines. Where things went wrong, lessons were learned.

New staff were supported and there was a programme of regular training for all staff. Management supervision of staff was not up to date but there were plans in place to rectify this. Staff told us they felt supported/ Communication between the staff team was effective. People were enabled to access other healthcare professionals as the need arose. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff were caring and kind. People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff encouraged people to be independent where possible. Confidential information was stored securely.

Care records were detailed, and person centred. Records included information about how the person communicated and any support they may need with this. There was a system in place to ensure complaints were logged and dealt with.

Everyone we spoke with was positive about the organisation and the service provided. There was an established management structure in place who continually monitored quality and performance. Staff were supported and there was clear desire to continually improve and develop.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 3 July 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.