Background to this inspection
Updated
19 January 2019
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 was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Prior to the inspection we looked at information we had about the service. This information included the statutory notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. Before the inspection, we had 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 service, what the service does well and
improvements they planned to make.
On the day of the inspection we met with, the registered manager and one business support staff. The registered manager was also the service manager of other services within South Gloucestershire Council. This included overseeing a care home and day centre.
Prior to this inspection we sought staff feedback using email. We emailed 22 staff and received a response back from four staff. We looked at two people's care records, together with other records relating to their care and the running of the service. This included the policies and procedures relating to the delivery and management of the service, minutes of meetings, accidents, incidents, complaints, compliments and, audits and quality assurance reports.
Updated
19 January 2019
This inspection started on 14 November 2018 with calls made to people who used the service and their relatives. This was to gain their views and experiences. The inspection was carried out at the office location on 19 November 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours' notice of the inspection to ensure that the people we needed to speak with were available.
The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.
South Gloucestershire Council Homecare Service is known as the Rapid Response Service and provides a personal care service for people who require urgent care for up to 72 hours or until a until a new provider can be found. The service also responded to urgent missed calls from other service providers and calls from back up telecare systems installed in people's homes. Telecare is a telephone and alarm system installed in vulnerable people's home who may have occasion to call for assistance in an emergency. This was achieved through a duty manager being available throughout the day and night who was able to direct care staff to people's homes.
At the time of our inspection, the service assisted and provided personal care to 21 people living in their own houses and flats. The service was managed from an office in South Gloucestershire.
At our last inspection, we rated the service good. At this inspection, we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.
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. The registered provider was also the registered manager for the service.
The feedback we received from everyone we spoke with was very positive throughout. Those people who used the service including relatives and staff, expressed satisfaction and spoke highly of all staff and the support provided.
The safety of people who used the service was taken seriously and the registered manager and staff were aware of their responsibility to protect people's health and wellbeing. There were systems in place to ensure that potential risks to people's safety and wellbeing were identified and addressed.
There were sufficient numbers of skilled and trained staff working at the service. Staff's suitability to work with vulnerable adults at the service had been checked prior to employment. For instance, previous employer references had been sought and a criminal conviction check undertaken.
People received their medicines as required, from trained and competent staff. Staff ensured people were protected from the risk of acquiring an infection during the provision of their care.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People consistently reported they were treated in a kind and caring manner by staff. Staff ensured people's privacy and dignity were upheld and independence promoted during the provision of their personal care.
People were satisfied with the care and support they received from staff. They had no concerns about the management of the service. Staff said they were well supported by the senior staff team.
Care records contained information to identify people's requirements and preferences in relation to their care and there was evidence to show that they had been consulted about decisions. People we spoke with told us their choices and preferences around their care and support were respected.
The provider had maintained arrangements to monitor and assess the safety and quality of the service. People and staff were asked for their views about how the service could be improved. If people were unhappy and wished to make a complaint, the provider had arrangements in place to deal with their concerns appropriately.
A range of audits were undertaken to evidence the quality of the care and the accuracy of records used to record people's care and support. There was an open and transparent approach to the management of the service, which included team meetings, supervision and competency assessments of staff.