Archived: Care For Freedom Limited Also known as Care4Freedom

There was a manager in post who had registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager was supported by service and assistant service managers responsible for the day-to-day operation of each location where people received care and support.

People told us that staff helped them stay safe, both at home and when out and about in the community. Staff received training on how to safeguard people from abuse and were knowledgeable about the potential risks and how to report concerns. Robust recruitment practices were followed and there were sufficient numbers of suitable staff available at all times to meet people’s needs. People were supported to take their medicines safely and at the right time by trained staff where necessary and appropriate. Potential risks to people’s health and well-being were identified, reviewed and managed effectively.

People who received support, relatives and health care professionals were positive about the skills, experience and abilities of staff who received training and refresher updates relevant to their roles. Staff supported people to maintain good health and access health and social care services when necessary.

Staff obtained people’s agreement to the support provided and always obtained their consent before helping them with personal care. People told us that staff supported them in a kind and caring way that promoted their dignity. We found that staff had developed positive relationships with the people they supported and were clearly very knowledgeable about their needs and personal circumstances.

People who received support were involved in the planning and regular reviews of the care provided and this was accurately reflected in their individual plans of care. The confidentiality of information held about people’s medical and personal histories was securely maintained.

People received personalised care and support that met their needs and took account of their preferences. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s background histories, preferences and routines. People were supported to pursue social interests relevant to their needs. They told us that the registered manager and staff listened to them and responded positively to any concerns they had. People were encouraged to raise any concerns they had and knew how to make a complaint if the need arose.

People, their relatives, staff and professional stakeholders were all complimentary about the management team and how the service operated. The management team had recently introduced systems to monitor the quality of services and potential risks.

We found that the service had quality monitoring systems in place and these were being reviewed at the time of our visit. People were encouraged to share their views and opinions about the service.

We noted that where actions/incidents were recorded appropriately as a means to improving the service.