Carers Choices

Updated 11 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 comprehensive inspection took place on the 16, and 19 July 2018 and was announced. We did this to ensure the registered manager was available to assist us with the inspection. The inspection was completed by one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included the last inspection report and statutory notifications we had received about the service. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the provider is legally obliged to send us. We also looked at the provider’s 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 plan to make. We also analysed the responses we received to a questionnaire which the Commission had sent out to people using the service (18 responses), relatives and friends (8 responses) and staff (5 responses). Feedback from the questionnaire has been included in this report.

During our inspection, we spoke with one person, two relatives, four members of care staff, the registered manager and operations manager. We reviewed four people's care files, three staff recruitment and support files, training records, arrangements for the management of medicines, a sample of policies and procedures and quality assurance information.

Updated 11 August 2018

Carers Choices provides short term respite care, domiciliary care and home support to people who live in their own homes. The service provides care in the geographical areas of Southend, Rochford, Rayleigh, Castle Point, Basildon and Maldon and surrounding areas. At the time of our inspection, 48 people were using the service. Of those 48 people, 15 received a regulated activity. We only looked at the service for people receiving a regulated activity.

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 service was safe. There were safeguarding procedures in place to protect people from harm and abuse. Individual risks to people had been identified, managed and reviewed. Where required, people were supported to take their prescribed medicines safely. Safe recruitment procedures were in place to ensure staff were suitable and of good character prior to them starting work. There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet the needs of people using the service, and people received care and support from a consistent team of staff. There were systems in place to monitor incidents and accidents. People were protected from the risk of infection.

The service was effective. Newly appointed staff received an induction to ensure they had the knowledge required to meet people’s needs. Staff received on-going training, support and supervision to ensure their skills and knowledge were kept up to date. Where required, people were supported with their dietary needs and with access to healthcare services. 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 support this practice.

The service was caring. People received care and support from staff who were kind, compassionate and caring. People's privacy and dignity was respected and maintained at all times and their independence promoted. People and, where appropriate, their relatives were involved in the planning and review of their care.

The service was responsive to people's needs. Care plans contained information regarding people's preferences and individual needs and how people wished to be cared for. Care plans were reviewed regularly, or as and when people's needs changed. There were appropriate procedures in place for dealing with concerns and complaints.

The service was well-led. Staff were well supported and valued by the registered manager and shared the registered manager’s philosophy of promoting a positive person-centred culture. People and relatives were complimentary about the service and felt the service was well led and managed. There were systems and processes in place to monitor the quality of the service and to understand the experiences of people who used the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.