Archived: Watershed Care Services

Updated 29 April 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 5 April 2017 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection because the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in. On this inspection there were two inspectors.

Prior to the inspection we reviewed the information we had about the service. This included information sent to us by the provider, about the staff and the people who used the service. We reviewed the information supplied by the registered manager and we checked information that we held about the service and the service provider. This included statutory notifications sent to us by the provider about incidents and events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

On day one of the inspection, with permission of the person, we visited four people in their home to observe care being provided by staff. We also spoke with people about their experiences of the care being provided.

During the visit we spoke with the registered manager, and four members of staff. We looked at a sample of three care plans of people who used the service, medicine administration records, three recruitment files for staff, and supervision records for staff. We looked at records that related to the management of the service. This included minutes of staff meetings and audits of the service.

After the inspection we conducted telephone calls with four people who used the service.

The service was last inspected on 29 and 30 January 2015 and no concerns were identified.

Updated 29 April 2017

This inspection was carried out on 5 April 2017. Watershed Care Services provides personal care and support for people in their own homes. This includes people that are old and frail, some of whom have disabilities. At the time of our inspection the service provided personal care to 32 people.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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. We were supported on the inspection by the registered manager and the deputy manager.

People told us they felt safe using the service. Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse and were confident any allegations would be taken seriously and investigated to help ensure people were protected. There were sufficient staff at the service to provide care and support to people. Appropriate recruitment checks were undertaken before staff started work.

Staff understood the risks to people. Staff encouraged and supported people to lead their lives as independently as possible whilst ensuring they were kept safe. People’s medicines were managed in a safe way people were supported to manage their own medicines.

People received support from staff that knew them well, and had the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. People and their relatives spoke highly of the staff and the support provided.

Staff were caring and considerate to people’s needs. People said that staff were caring and kind to them and treated them with dignity. People were involved in their care planning and the care that was provided was person centred.

People had care plans in place which provided guidance for staff about how people liked their care provided. People told us staff always respected the way they liked things done and respected their home. Staff received appropriate training and supervision to provide effective care to people.

The registered manager and staff had a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how to make sure people who did not have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves had their legal rights protected. No-one receiving support was assessed as lacking capacity but staff members were aware of when someone may need to receive a mental capacity assessment and who to report this to.

Staff supported peoples nutritional and hydration needs and people accessed health care professionals when needed.

Complaints and concerns were taken seriously and used as an opportunity to improve the service.

People told us the staff were friendly and the office staff were always approachable. The provider had systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the care provided. The provider actively sought, encouraged and supported people's involvement in the improvement of the service. Staff told us they could feedback any concerns to their manager. Staff felt that management were very supportive and staff felt valued.

The registered manager had informed the CQC of significant events. Records were accurate, well maintained and kept securely.