Archived: Direct Health (Nottingham)

Updated 29 December 2016

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.

We visited the service on 28 November 2016, this was an announced inspection. We gave notice of the inspection because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be available. The inspection team consisted of an inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection, we 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 plan to make. We reviewed information the provider had sent us including statutory notifications. These are made for serious incidents which the provider must inform us about. We also contacted the commissioners of the service, health and social care professionals to obtain their views about the service provided.

During our inspection we tried to contact 29 people by telephone who used the service to gain their views about the service they received. We got to speak with 15 people and took into consideration feedback we had received from people over the last 12 months. We also spoke with the registered manager, the acting head of branch operations, the provider’s chief executive, two care-coordinators and five care staff. We looked at 10 people’s care records, six staff files, as well as a range of records relating to the running of the service. This included policies and procedures, staff training, systems used to manage the service and audits and checks used to monitor quality and safety.

We gave all care staff the opportunity to contact us to share their experience about working for Direct Health Nottingham. Three care staff contacted us and gave us feedback.

Updated 29 December 2016

This inspection took place on 28 November 2016. Direct Health Nottingham is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care and support to people in their own home in Eastwood, Beeston, Stapleford and Kimberley in Nottinghamshire. There were 170 people using the service at the time of the inspection.

There is a registered manager and she was available during the inspection. 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.

Staff knew how to keep people safe and understood their responsibilities to protect people from the risk of avoidable harm. Risks to people’s health and safety were managed and plans were in place to enable staff to support people safely. Missed calls had greatly improved since our last inspection and where these had occurred; appropriate action had been taken to reduce further risks.

People were not routinely informed in advance of the staff that would be visiting them and this was important to them. Not all people were informed if calls were going to be late but people said communication with the office had much improved since our last inspection.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s care needs and safe recruitment practices meant as far as possible only staff suitable to work for the service were employed. People received the level of support they required to safely manage their medicines.

Staff received appropriate induction, training and supervision. People’s rights were protected under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People received the assistance they required to have enough to eat and drink. External professionals were involved in people’s care as appropriate.

Positive and caring relationships had been developed between staff and people who used the service. People were involved in the planning of their care and making decisions about what care they wanted. People were treated with dignity and respect by staff who understood the importance of this.

People received the care they needed and staff were aware of people’s support needs. Care records had improved and information for staff was easy to follow. Support plans showed personalised care was provided but the level of detail and quality of information recorded was dependent on what care coordinator had completed the record. People felt able to make a complaint and knew how to do so.

The provider had checks in place that monitored the quality and safety of the service. This included opportunities for people who used the service to share their experience of the service they received. The provider had notified us of important events registered providers are required to do.