Home Support Reablement Service

Updated 30 December 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by an inspector and 4 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

Home Support Reablement Service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats on a short-term basis.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 30 November 2023 and ended on 8 December 2023. We visited the location's office on 30 November 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We sought feedback from the local authority and healthcare professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and head of service. We spoke to 4 office staff, including coordinators, resource planners, and service managers, and received feedback from 6 support staff.

We spoke with 12 people receiving support and 12 relatives. We reviewed 17 people's support records, including the administration of medicines for 4 people. We looked at staff files in relation to recruitment, training and supervision, and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, audits, and meeting minutes.

We asked the registered manager to send us documents before and after the on-site inspection. These were provided in a timely manner and this evidence was included as part of our inspection.

Updated 30 December 2023

About the service

Home Support Reablement Service is a domiciliary care service providing a time limited period of assessment and rehabilitation for in their own houses and flats in the community for support with personal care. At the time of our inspection there were 106 people using the service. 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. At the time of inspection, the service was providing personal care to 106 people.

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

People felt safe and staff knew what to do if they thought people were at risk. Staff managed people's medication safely. Staff recruitment processes were robust and staffing levels ensured people’s needs were met by familiar staff. The provider followed current infection prevention and control guidance.

The provider had recently implemented innovative discharge planning processes to reduce the risks of people being readmitted to hospital, through joint working groups which included healthcare professionals. People's health and nutrition needs were supported, and staff were aware of their responsibility to promote people's rights. The provider had access to a range of services to support people’s communication needs.

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.

People's needs were reviewed throughout their rehabilitation programme, and staff were trained to provide support whilst promoting independence and assessing for on-going support needs. Staff approaches promoted dignity & respect. People were involved in decisions about their support needs.

People were happy with their support and felt they could talk to staff if they had concerns. The provider had systems in place to learn from issues as they arose, and outcomes were communicated to staff. People had ongoing access to healthcare professionals, and guidance was shared with staff in a timely manner.

Systems were in place to monitor quality and safety. The registered manager audited support records, including accidents and incidents, to assure themselves of quality. The provider sought regular feedback from people to improve their support. Lessons were learned when concerns were raised, and these outcomes were communicated to staff. Staff worked well in partnership with other agencies to deliver effective support.

At the time of the inspection, the location did not care or support anyone with a learning disability or autistic people. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.

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 14 November 2017).

Why we inspected

This inspection was a planned inspection based on the date the service was last inspected.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.