Archived: Specialist Support Services for younger adults with disabilities North

Updated 9 November 2018

This announced inspection was carried out by one inspector and took place on 26 and 27 September 2018. A ‘expert-by-experience’ was also involved in telephoning people at home, with their prior permission, on the 25 September to find out about their experience of using the service. A ‘expert-by-experience’ is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

We gave the provider 48hrs’ notice of the inspection. We do this because in some community based domiciliary care agencies the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or, in some smaller agencies, providing care. We needed to be sure that someone would be in the service location office when we inspected.

Before our inspection, we reviewed information we held about the provider such as statutory notifications that they had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also contacted the health and social care commissioners who monitor the care of people provided with domiciliary support to check if they had information about the quality of the service.

The registered manager had completed 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 plan to make. The provider returned the PIR and we took this into account when we made judgements in this report.

During this inspection we visited the agency office in Corby. We met and spoke with the registered manager. We also spoke with five staff involved in providing care and support. We looked at the care records for six people that used the service. With their prior agreement we visited three people at home and spoke with eight people on the telephone to find out about their experience of using the service. We also looked at records related to the quality monitoring of the service and the daily management of the service.

Updated 9 November 2018

This inspection took place on the 26 and 27 September 2018. This was the first comprehensive inspection of ‘Specialist Support Services for younger adults with disabilities North’ at their Corby location since the registered provider details changed to Northamptonshire County Council.

This service provides a domiciliary care support service to people living within their own homes in the community in Corby and surrounding area. There were 60 people receiving support with personal care when we inspected.

A registered manager was in post. 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.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to provide people with the support that had been agreed with them. Staff recruitment procedures ensured that appropriate checks were completed to ensure only suitable staff worked at the service.

People’s needs had been assessed prior to their service being agreed. There were plans of care in place that been developed to guide staff in providing care in partnership with people who used the service. Staff were responsive to people’s changing needs. They could demonstrate that they understood what was required of them to provide people with the care they needed to remain living independently at home. Care records contained risk assessments and risk management plans. These provided staff with the guidance and information they needed on how to minimise risks when they provided care and support.

Staff had a good understanding of what safeguarding meant and the procedures for reporting abuse. The staff we spoke with were confident that any concerns they raised would be followed up appropriately by the registered manager or other senior staff.

People were happy with the way that staff provided their care and support. They said they were listened to, their views were acknowledged and acted upon and their care and support was delivered in accordance with their assessed needs and their preferences for how they wished to receive their care. They were supported by staff that had access to the support, supervision, and training they needed to work effectively in their roles. There was good leadership regarding day-to-day and longer-term management of the service.

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 place at the service supported this practice. People's consent was sought before any care was provided and the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were met.

People benefitted from a service that was appropriately managed so that they received their service in a timely and reliable way. They received care from staff that were friendly, compassionate, kind and caring. Staff had received the right training to do their job and were knowledgeable about the needs of the people they supported in the community. There were procedures in place to guide staff when supporting people to take their medicines. Staff were trained in infection control, and supplied with appropriate personal protective equipment, such as disposable gloves and aprons, to perform their roles safely.

There was an effective system of quality assurance in place which ensured people consistently received a good standard of care and support. The provider worked in partnership with other stakeholders to ensure that where improvements were needed action was taken. Communication was open and honest, and any improvements identified were worked upon as required.

Arrangements were in place for the service to reflect and learn from complaints and incidents to improve safety across the service.