Social Care Reablement - St Georges Road

Updated 7 August 2018

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 was an announced comprehensive inspection carried out by one adult social care inspector on 26, 29 June and 4 July 2018.

Prior to the inspection the manager had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a

form that asked the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included previous contact about the service and notifications we had received. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

During the inspection we visited two people who received a service in their own homes with their permission. We also spoke with one relative. We spoke with 10 people by telephone to hear their experience of the service. The manager was available throughout the inspection and we also spoke with three team leaders and met eight staff during a team meeting. We spoke with one social care professional who worked closely with the service.

We looked at the care records and risk assessments of four people using the service. We also looked at records relating to staff recruitment and training and the quality monitoring of the service.

Updated 7 August 2018

Social Care Reablement - St George’s Road is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. It is one of four reablement services provided by Devon County Council. The service provides reablement support to people for up to four weeks following an illness, injury or hospital admission to help them regain independence and confidence. The focus of the service is to enable people to maximise their potential to manage their own care without further support, or with minimal assistance. The ethos of Social Care Reablement stems from the Care Act 2014. This sets out the general responsibilities of local authorities to promote individual wellbeing, prevent need for care and support, provide information and advice and promote integrated services.

This inspection took place on the 26 and 29 June and 4 July 2018, and was announced. The provider was given short notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that managers and staff were available to speak with us and able to contribute to the inspection. This was the first inspection of the service since a change of location in October 2016.

At the time of this inspection the service was supporting 27 people to work towards their individual goals and regain independence.

The service had been without a registered manager since October 2016. A senior Devon County Council manager was in day to day charge of the service and was in the process of applying to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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.’

Feedback from people using the service was positive and they were keen to tell us how they valued the service. Comments included, “They have been marvellous helping me through difficult times…”; “Without them I wouldn’t have managed at all…” and “They (staff) have all been so great, so helpful. I am feeling more confident now…” All said they would recommend the service.

People said they were safe using the service because it was reliable; staff were well trained and caring. There were sufficient numbers of staff employed to provide people with their planned service. People said they had never experienced a missed visit and visits were never rushed.

People were protected by safe recruitment practices that ensured appropriate checks were carried out prior to staff starting their role and that only suitable staff were employed by the service.

People benefited from a service where staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities and they knew how to keep people safe from avoidable harm. Risks to individuals had been identified and there was guidance for staff on how to keep people safe. There were systems in place to report and monitor any accidents and incidents.

People’s right to make decisions for themselves was respected and staff sought consent when delivering care and support. People received support from staff who understood and responded to their support needs.

People were supported by a staff team who received regular training and support for their role, which ensured people received safe and effective care and support.

Support plans were developed with each person and clear achievable goals were set. Support plans contained information about people’s needs and preferences to enable staff to deliver the care and support needed to achieve their goals.

There was an emphasis on promoting people’s independence and enabling them to achieve their individual goals. Staff were kind, caring and professional offering support and encouragement. People were able to express their views and be actively involved in making decisions about their care and the goals they set.

Reablement offered short term support for usually up to four weeks. However, should people need continued care and support once the period of reablement had been completed, they were assisted to access other services. This helped to ensure any gaps in service provision were prevented and a safe handover of care between services could take place.

Any complaints or concerns were taken seriously and investigated, responded to and resolved to people’s satisfaction.

The service was well managed by the manager and team leaders. The provider had robust quality assurance systems which monitored the safety and quality of the service and ensured any shortfalls were addressed. People using the service and staff felt listened to and felt able to speak with the manager or team leaders at any time.