Archived: Creative Support - Warrington Service

During our inspection we spoke with the service director, registered, manager and three staff. We also contacted three relatives and three people who used the service via telephone.

We considered all the evidence we had gathered under the outcomes we inspected. We used the information to answer the five questions we always ask;

' Is the service safe?

' Is the service effective?

' Is the service caring?

' Is the service responsive?

' Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, their relatives, the staff supporting them and from looking at records.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

Policies and procedures had been developed by the registered provider (Creative Support Limited) to provide guidance for staff on how to safeguard the care and welfare of the people using the service.

Management spoken with demonstrated that they had a good understanding of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act and how to access support for people who had difficulty in making their own complex decisions.

Likewise, staff spoken with confirmed they had received safeguarding training and had a good understanding of the different types of abuse, their duty of care to protect vulnerable adults and the action that should be taken in response to suspicion or evidence of abuse. Records highlighted that there had been no safeguarding referrals since our last inspection.

We looked at a sample of recruitment records for the three most recently recruited staff in the service. Examination of records and discussion with staff confirmed prospective employees had undergone a comprehensive recruitment process prior to commencing employment with the provider. This helped to safeguard the welfare of vulnerable people.

Is the service effective?

Files viewed contained assessment and care / support plans from care managers (social workers or health care professionals) which outlined the needs, support requirements and objectives for each person. Service reviews were also undertaken periodically to review the effectiveness of the service and to involve people using the service and their representatives in planning for the future.

The registered provider had developed a 'Complaints, Suggestions and Compliments' policy. Information on the complaints procedure had also been included in the agency's 'Statement of Purpose' and 'Service User Handbook'.

Records viewed confirmed that no complaints had been received from people using the service since our last inspection.

People using the service and / or their representatives spoken with confirmed that they were aware of how to complain and confident that should they raise a complaint with the provider that their views would be listened to and acted upon.

Is the service caring?

People using the service and / or their representatives spoken with during the inspection confirmed they had confidence in the service to provide good standards of care and that people were treated in a dignified and caring manner.

Comments received from people using the service included: 'The service I receive is really good. The support workers are attentive and understand my needs'; 'I am very happy with everything Creative Support have done' and 'I would say the service is excellent.'

Likewise, feedback received from the relatives of people using the service included: 'I'm happy with the service although communication could be improved'; 'They've been brilliant and the staff are fabulous' and 'I'm more than happy. The involvement of Creative Support has taken a lot of physical and mental stress away from me.'

Is the service responsive?

A range of records had also been produced and completed by the provider. For example: holistic assessments of need; person centred plans and support plans / guidelines had been completed for each person. This helped to ensure the needs and wishes of the people using the service were identified and planned for.

Likewise, a range of supporting documentation including: risk assessments; health action plans; health summary records; activity records; consent forms; service review records; summary of work notes and other miscellaneous documentation was also available for reference. Overall, records viewed had been kept under review and had been signed by people using the service or their representatives to confirm their agreement with the information recorded.

We spoke with support staff during our visit. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the needs of the people they cared for and the value base of social care. Feedback received from people using the service and / or their representatives confirmed the service was responsive to individual needs.

Is the service well- led?

The service has a registered manager in place to provide direction and leadership to the staff team.

A range of internal and operational auditing systems had been established to enable the registered manager to maintain an overview of the service. For example: annual health and safety and physical environment checklists and monthly manager checklists were in place to monitor and review: people's personal records; staffing; supervisions; team meetings; environmental checks; complaints; safeguarding and other key areas.

The provider had also established systems to involve and obtain feedback from people using the service and / or their representatives. We noted that easy read surveys had not been used to help people understand the information. Likewise service specific survey results had not been produced for individual services. We have raised these points with the provider to help develop and improve the quality of future consultation processes.

Periodic monitoring of the standard of care provided to people funded via the local authority was also undertaken by Warrington Borough Council's Integrated Commissioning Team. This is an external monitoring process to ensure the service meets its contractual obligations.

People also told us that they were generally satisfied with the standard of care provided and were of the opinion that staff understood their needs.

Comments received included; 'I have no complaints. I am happy with the support I receive from Creative Support'; 'The service is very good and I've found it reliable'; 'The staff help me different things like my medication, personal care, cooking and shopping. I couldn't cope without their help'; and 'The carers are nice to me.'

Likewise, comments received from relatives included: 'I think the service is brilliant. The only thing I think they could improve on is communication' and 'The input provided by Creative Support is absolutely fine. I have no issues.'

No complaints were received from the people using the service during our visit.

People also told us that they were generally satisfied with the care provided and were of the opinion that staff understood their needs.

Comments received from people using the service included: 'I am very happy'; 'The staff are considerate and always very helpful'; 'The carers are okay; 'I've not lived here very long. I'm settling in and the staff are here if I need any help' and 'I like it here. The staff are nice.'

No complaints were received from the people using the service during our visit. One service user spoken with highlighted concerns about the use of relief staff and stated 'We get different carers all the time'.

The management team acknowledged that there had been some staff vacancies and that the provider was in the process of recruiting staff to address this issue.

We also received concerns from the relative of a person using the service who expressed ongoing dissatisfaction with the service provider and the standard of care provided to a relative. This concern was passed to the management team for action.

Another relative spoken with stated 'Whenever I've had a problem my concerns have always been listened to and acted upon.'