The inspection took place over three days on the 14, 17 and 18 August 2015 and was announced. The service was last inspected in December 2013 and was meeting all of the standards we looked at during that inspection.
The service is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide support with personal care to adults and children living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 50 adults were using the service. The service had a registered manager in place. 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 registered manager was on a period of extended leave at the time of our visit and the nominated individual was taking responsibility for the day to day management of the service.
The provider did not always notify the Care Quality Commission of allegations of abuse. This was a breach of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this report.
The provider had safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures in place. Staff undertook training about safeguarding adults. Risk assessments were in place which included information about how to manage and reduce risks. Staff told us they had enough time to provide people with support in line with their care plans. Systems were in place for the safe management of medicines.
Staff undertook training to support them to meet people’s assessed needs. People were able to consent to their care and staff understood the implications of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This is law which protects people who may lack the capacity to make some decisions for themselves. Where people were supported with food preparation they were able to choose what they ate. The service worked with other agencies to promote people’s health and wellbeing.
People and their relatives told us they were treated with respect and that staff were caring. Staff had a good understanding of how to support people in a way that promoted their dignity.
The service carried out an assessment of people’s needs and care plans were in place providing information about how to meet people’s individual needs in a personalised manner. People knew how to make a complaint and complaints were responded to appropriately.
People relatives and staff told us they found the management of the service to be helpful and supportive. The service had various quality assurance and monitoring systems in place. Some of these involved seeking the views of people that used the service.