3 June 2014
During a routine inspection
Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, the staff supporting them and from looking at records.
If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read our full report.
Is the service safe?
There were processes in place to ensure that vulnerable adults were protected from abuse. All staff we spoke with and the registered manager understood their responsibility to safeguard people they supported.
People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage people's out-of-hours medicines. This included appropriate training to ensure staff had the skills to support people.
Systems were in place to ensure that managers and staff learned from events such as accidents and incidents, complaints, concerns, whistleblowing and investigations. This ensured that people who use the service remained safe.
Is the service effective?
People's risk assessments were completed by both the provider and the Assertive Outreach Team (AOT) to ensure their care needs were met. The Assertive Outreach Team was responsible for ensuring that people's health and care needs were met and the provider supported them with out-of-hours medication as planned for. Where an individual had a history of challenging behaviours this was identified and appropriate support plans were put in place for them.
Is the service caring?
We were unable to speak with people who used the service because of the nature of care and support system that was in place for them. However, we spoke with the Assertive Outreach Team who confirmed that staff worked well with people and that they had not received any complaints from people, their relatives or friends.
Feedback forms completed by people who used the service were positive and all of the people said they were satisfied with the support that they received.
When speaking with staff it was clear that they knew about the support plans in place for the people they supported.
Is the service responsive?
The provider had policies and procedures in place to ensure that people could raise their concerns if they were unhappy about the service. The provider informed us that they had not received any complaints from people since they started providing the service. The Assertive Outreach Team, the organisation that commissioned the service told us that they had not had any complaints from people. However, they were confident that complaints would be investigated and appropriate action taken where necessary.
Is the service well-led?
The provider had a quality assurance system, and records showed that identified problems and opportunities to change things for the better were addressed promptly. As a result the quality of the service was continuously improving. For example, the provider reported to the Assertive Outreach Team daily on how the service was delivered, and any identified issues were reported and addressed immediately.
The provider had a registered manager in post who was present most of the time. Staff we spoke with told us they felt supported in their role and could speak to management team if they had any concerns. Staff said they could contact their supervisor or manager if they needed to speak to them during out-of-hours period, and they told us that their calls were always answered.