We inspected Intermediate Care from May 5th until May 12th 2015. This was an announced inspection and we let the acting manager know we were inspecting two-days beforehand. We announced this inspection so we would be able to meet with staff providing support on the day. This meant that the staff and provider knew we would be reviewing the services that were provided.
The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector.
The Intermediate Care Team provides a free and flexible service to people in their own homes for a period of up to six weeks. Staff provide care, support, encouragement, rehabilitation and advice to people with the aim of assisting people regain their independence The service is available to people aged 18 and above who live in the Stockton locality and for example be someone who has been discharged from hospital after a hip replacement. The service supports people with meal preparation, attending to personal care, administering medication, mobilising, shopping, accessing community facilities and domestic support.
The service had a registered manager who had recently retired. A new acting manager was in place at the service. 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 acting manager and staff that we spoke with had a good understanding of the principles and their responsibilities in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (2005). People told us they felt safe and staff understood how to recognise and report potential abuse. We saw there were systems and processes in place to protect people from the risk of harm.
We found people were encouraged and supported to take responsible risks. People were encouraged and enabled to take control of their lives.
People told us they were supported to regain their independence by experienced and knowledgeable staff. People told us that staff were reliable. Robust recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff started work.
Staff who worked at the service were extremely knowledgeable about the care that people received. People told us that they received person centred care. People who used the service told us they were very happy with the care that they received.
People told us they were supported to prepare food and drinks of their choice. This helped to ensure that nutritional needs were met. People told us they were encouraged and supported to be independent with meal preparation.
People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare professionals and services. Where needed people were seen or referrals were made to the therapies team or other relevant health or social care professionals.
People told us they were supported by caring and compassionate staff. People we spoke with said they were happy with the care and support provided and could make decisions about their own care and how they were looked after.
People told us staff respected their privacy and dignity. Staff were aware of the values of the service and knew how to respect people’s privacy and dignity.
People’s care and support needs had been assessed by the referring agency before the service began. Some care packages were set up extremely quickly, often within a matter of hours to provide crisis support or a speedier discharge from hospital. Care records we looked at detailed people’s needs and there were clear records of the visits by each staff member that were reviewed by the management team at the service.
Appropriate systems were in place for the management of complaints. People and staff told us the acting manager was approachable. People we spoke with did not raise any complaints or concerns about the service and they told us they knew how to contact the service if they needed to.
There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Staff told us that the service had an open, inclusive and positive culture.