14 May 2015
During a routine inspection
We carried out an announced inspection of the service on 14 May 2015.
Nottingham City Council Short Breaks Team Provide personal care and short breaks for disabled children who have a wide range of disabilities. There were 84 people receiving care and support in their own homes at the time of our visit.
There was a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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.
People felt the service was safe and reliable. The provider had suitable arrangements in place to identify the possibility of abuse and to reduce the risk of people experiencing abuse. Staff were knowledgeable about how to recognise abuse and confirmed they had completed relevant safeguarding training.
Appropriate risk assessments had been undertaken to make sure the environment was safe and secure for staff to attend to people’s needs.
People were supported by appropriately skilled and trained staff because the provider had a robust recruitment process in place. There were sufficient numbers of staff to cover calls in an effective and caring way. The manager was recruiting for additional staff at the time of our visit.
People were supported to make informed choices and staff had awareness of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005, The Mental Capacity Act 2005 is designed to protect people who do not have the capacity to make certain important decisions for themselves, because they may lack the capacity to make such decisions due to permanent or temporary problems such as mental illness, brain injury or learning disability. We found that the MCA was being adhered to.
Care plans contained individual information relevant to the person. People were encouraged to be independent and received relevant information on how the service was run. People felt that they could express their views about the service that they received.
People knew how to raise any concerns. They knew who they should contact and raise the concern with.
People received good care which met their needs. They were treated with respect and the staff provided the care in a caring way.
People and their families were involved in decisions related to their care and support. Care plans contained information relevant to the person and were individualised to reflect people’s needs.
Complaints and concerns were recorded and reviewed to ensure they were dealt with in a timely manner, which also helped make improvements to the way the service operated..
The service was monitored regularly by the provider and registered manager to make sure a quality service was provided.
People were encouraged to express their views and comment on how the service was run.
The management team worked effectively and supported staff appropriately. The service worked well with other professionals and the care commissioners.