Archived: Life Path Weymouth

Updated 8 March 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 between the 27 January 2017 and 3 February 2017. The provider was given notice of our inspection because the location provides a domiciliary care service to people in their own homes and we needed to be sure that someone would be at the office and to assist us to arrange home visits. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we had about the service. This included notifications from the provider; a notification is the way providers tell us important information that affects the care people receive. We had not asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) since they moved to their current location. 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 were able to gather this information during our inspection.

We visited three people in their own homes and observed interactions with three members of staff. We also spoke with people who used the service or their relatives by telephone. In total we spoke with eight people and relatives. We spoke with eight members of staff, the registered manager and a director from the provider organisation. We reviewed records relating to seven people’s care and support. We also looked at records related to the management of the service. This included three staff files, training records, meeting minutes and the documentation of audits and surveys. We also spoke with a representative from the local authority who had knowledge of the service.

Updated 8 March 2017

This inspection took place between the 27 January 2017 and 3 February 2017. We visited the office on the 27 January 2017 and 3 February 2017 and visited people in their homes and made phone calls to staff and people who used the service on 30 and 31 January 2107 and 1 February 2017. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Bluebird Care Weymouth and Portland is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service provided personal care and support for 42 people.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

People’s medicines and creams were administered safely however we found there was a risk that the electronic recording system used by staff did not reflect the medicines given. We found an example of a person receiving the right medicines but the wrong records being kept. We spoke with the registered manager about this and they addressed this straight away by raising staff awareness and considering changes to the auditing system.

People’s care was not always recorded due to problems with the electronic system that the staff used. We discussed examples we found with the registered manager. They spoke with the company who supplied the electronic system and had changes made which would ensure these gaps would be highlighted immediately.

People spoke positively about the care and support they received. They told us staff treated them with respect and kindness and we saw people were comfortable with staff in their homes. People told us they felt safe. They were protected from harm because staff understood the risks they faced and how to reduce these risks. Staff knew how to identify and respond to abuse; including how to contact agencies they should report concerns about people’s care to.

Staff understood how people made choices about the care they received, and encouraged people to make decisions about their care. Care plans reflected care was being delivered within the framework of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

There were enough safely recruited staff to ensure people received their visits as planned. Staff were consistent in their knowledge of people’s care needs and spoke with confidence about the care they provided to meet those needs. They were professional in their approach and motivated to provide the best care they could. They told us they felt supported in their roles. They had received a robust induction and training that provided them with the necessary knowledge and skills to do their job effectively.

People had access to health care professionals and were supported to maintain their health by staff. Staff understood changes in people’s health and shared the information necessary for people to receive safe care. Where people had their food and drink prepared by staff they told us this was prepared well. People were left with access to appropriate drinks and food between visits.

Management were committed to making continual improvements to the quality of care. This included development of new skills and expertise amongst the staff team in response to people’s identified needs and specific training needs identified and requested by the team. There were systems in place to review and monitor the quality of the service people received including feedback from people and staff.

The organisation worked to improve the support available to people in the community. They provided a member of staff to support the running of a local dementia café and offered financial support to small local support groups. This support led to enhanced knowledge amongst the staff team about support available and this information was shared with people who received care and support.