South Ribble Domiciliary Service

Updated 11 June 2019

The inspection: We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) 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 Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: The inspection was undertaken by two adult social care inspectors and an expert by experience, who conducted telephone calls to obtain feedback from those who used the service and their relatives. An expert by experience is an independent person, who has experience of the type of service being provided.

Service and service type: South Ribble Domiciliary Service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to adults in shared houses within the local community, including those who are living with dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. The Care Quality Commission does not regulate premises used for domiciliary care; this inspection looked at people's care and support.

South Ribble Domiciliary Service is operated by Lancashire County Council. A registered manager is in place. Both are registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means they are both legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection: We gave the service three days’ notice of the inspection visit because it is a small service and we were aware the registered manager was on annual leave. We needed to be sure that someone would be available to provide the information we required.

What we did: Prior to our inspection we looked at all the information we held about the service. This included any concerns, investigations or feedback. We also checked the statutory notifications the service is required to send to us by law. We asked for feedback from professionals about their views of the service. We also looked at the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used a planning tool to collate all this evidence and information prior to visiting the service.

During our inspection we visited three people, with their agreement, who lived in a shared house. We also met one person who visited the agency office with a staff member whilst we were there. We spoke with an additional eight people who used the service and three relatives by telephone. We also spoke with two staff members and two senior managers. We looked at a variety of records. These included two care files, two staff personnel records, audits, policies and procedures and records relating to the operation and oversight of the service.

Updated 11 June 2019

About the service: South Ribble Domiciliary Service is a domiciliary care service, which provides support for adults in the community, who require assistance with personal care, including those living with dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. The agency office is in a residential area of Leyland. It is accessible by public transport and car parking is available. People live in communal houses in the local community. At the time of our inspection there were 31 people who used the service.

People’s experience of using this service: Everyone we spoke with provided us with very positive comments about the quality of service provided and the ability of the staff team. Systems to act on allegations of abuse were in place. A wide range of risk assessments had been developed and potential risks were being managed well.

A system was in place for the reporting and recording of accidents and incidents. Staff had received training in medication awareness and guidance for staff was available. Staff were recruited safely.

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's needs and choices were assessed and their care and support was delivered to achieve effective outcomes. Staff engaged with people and we were told care workers were kind and caring. Positive feedback was provided by people we spoke with.

New staff received an in-depth induction programme and a broad range of training had been completed by all staff, who were regularly supervised and observed at work.

Support plans were detailed and person-centred. They reflected people’s assessed needs and had been reviewed regularly. Any changes in need had been recorded well. Daily activities were highlighted and monitored by the management team.

Systems were in place for the management of complaints. However, none had been received, but people told us they would know how to make a complain, should the need arise. Everyone we spoke with provided us with very positive comments about the quality of service provided and the staff team. Audits had taken place and feedback was regularly obtained from those who used the service and their relatives. Regular team meetings had been conducted and staff members felt able to approach the managers with any concerns, should they need to do so.

Rating at last inspection: The service was rated good at the last inspection (Published on 24 December 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous ratings.

Follow up: The service will be re-inspected as per our inspection programme. We will continue to monitor any information we receive about the service. We may bring the next inspection forward if we receive any concerning information.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk