Phoenix Support Ltd

Updated 14 July 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 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 inspection took place on 8 June 2017 and was announced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience, who made calls to staff and relatives of people using the service. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the agency, what the agency does well and improvements they plan to make. We considered the PIR, and also looked at notifications about important events that had taken place at the service, which the provider is required to tell us by law.

We met and spoke with three people and spoke over the telephone with two people, who were receiving support from the agency. We spoke with four relatives of people using the service to gain their views and experiences. We spoke with eight staff including the registered manager, area manager, training coordinator and five care staff. We asked 13 health care professionals for their feedback on the service.

We spent time looking at records, policies and procedures, complaint and incident and accident monitoring systems, internal audits and the quality assurance system. We looked at two people’s care files, three staff files, the staff training programme and induction programme.

Updated 14 July 2017

We inspected this service on 08 June 2017. The inspection was announced. The provider was given two working days’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the locations office to see us.

Phoenix Support Ltd is registered as a community based domiciliary care agency (DCA) which delivers personal care to people living in their own homes. This was the provider’s first comprehensive ratings inspection, following a change of address. The domiciliary care agency is run from an office in Maidstone town centre. The provider Phoenix Support Ltd provides a supported living service support primarily for people who have a learning disability. At the time of our inspection the provider was supporting approximately ten people living in supported living services or within their own flats.

At the time of our inspection, there was a registered manager in place who was supported by a number of senior managers. 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.

The feedback we received from people, their relatives and health care professionals was excellent. Those people that used the service and their relatives expressed great satisfaction of the service being provided and spoke very highly of the registered manager, senior management team and the staff. Everyone within the organisation was motivated and passionate about providing people with a person-centred service. Staff treated people as individuals and ensured people had as much choice and control over their lives as possible.

The registered manager, management team and staff understood their responsibility to protect people’s health and well-being and placed emphasis on the safety on people’s safety. People using the service had received training and guidance to enhance their understanding about what keeping safe meant, and about the action they should take if they did not feel safe. Staff, the management team and the registered manager had received appropriate training about protecting people from abuse. People were supported to belong to local government groups which promoted people’s safety. Risks to people’s safety had been assessed and measures put into place to manage any hazards identified.

Staff had a full understanding of people’s care and support needs and had the skills and knowledge to meet those needs. People received consistent support from the same staff who knew them well. People were supported to be fully involved in the recruitment of their own staff team. People had clear communication plans and guidance in place to ensure staff were able to communicate effectively with them. Detailed guidance was provided to staff within people’s homes about how to provide all areas of the care and support people needed. People’s nutrition and hydration had been carefully considered and staff followed instructions in people’s care plans. Staff ensured people remained as healthy as possible with the support from health care professionals.

People were treated with kindness and respect. People’s needs had been assessed to identify the care they required. People’s individual care and support plans were person centred and gave staff the information and guidance they required to give people the right support. Detailed guidance was available for staff to follow to support people who displayed any behaviour which caused a risk to themselves or others. People were fully involved in the care and support they received and decisions relating to their lives. People were supported to develop and maintain relationships with people that mattered to them.

There were enough staff with the right skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. Staff received the appropriate training to fulfil their role and provide the appropriate support. Staff were supported by the management team who they saw on a regular basis. The registered manager encouraged staff to undertake additional qualifications to develop their skills. People using the service were supported to complete various training courses to develop their knowledge and understanding. One person had been supported to develop their own training which they taught to new staff. Recruitment practices were safe and checks were carried out to make sure staff were suitable to work with people who needed care and support.

People were supported to be involved as much as possible in the administration of their medicines. People received their medicines safely and when they needed them. Policies and procedures were in place for the safe administration of medicines and staff had been trained to administer medicines safely. Regular audits of people’s medicines were completed by a member of the management team.

The registered manager, management team and staff were committed to providing a high quality service to people and its continuous development. Feedback from people, their representatives and staff were continually sought and used as an opportunity for improve the service people received. People were involved in the running of the service and were continually asked for their views, ideas and suggestions. Processes were in place to monitor the quality of the service being provided to people.