Archived: Care Outlook (Battersea)

This inspection took place on 09 December 2014 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service; we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

Care Outlook (Battersea) provides personal care for people living in Battersea, in the Borough of Wandsworth.

There was a registered manager 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.

People that we spoke with did not raise any concerns about their safety. The provider took appropriate steps to try and ensure people were kept safe through delivering safeguarding training to staff and following correct procedures when concerns were raised. The provider took action when concerns were raised and worked with other agencies to ensure people were kept safe.

Recruitment checks were completed prior to care workers starting work at the service including criminal record checks. They completed a comprehensive induction and shadowed more experienced staff before they started to deliver personal care independently. The induction covered a number of areas including the values of the organisation and their responsibilities as a care worker. They were given training in relation to maintaining safety at work and meeting the needs of people using the service. They were provided with ongoing training thereafter to ensure they were kept up to date with current practice. Staff told us they received appropriate training and felt well supported through regular supervision.

A quality monitoring officer completed individual risk assessments for people using the service and these were reviewed regularly. They included the action staff needed to take to minimise the risk. Each person had a medicines risk assessment and a fire safety risk assessment. The provider took a proactive approach to managing risks. For example, staff supported people to have smoke alarms fitted in their homes.

People’s dietary needs and preferences were recorded in their care plans. Care workers told us they notified the manager if they had any concerns about people’s health and we saw evidence of this in people’s care plans. We also saw that referrals had been made to people’s GPs following a fall or when a change in their needs was noted.

Where possible, people were given regular care workers which helped them to develop caring relationships. There was evidence that language and cultural requirements were considered when allocating care workers to people using the service. Staff told us about the importance of respecting people’s privacy and dignity in relation to carrying out personal care for people. People were given the choice of whether they wanted a male or female carer and the provider respected this.

People’s needs were assessed regularly to ensure their needs could be met. An initial assessment was completed from which care and support plans were developed. A six week review was held to ensure the support needs of people were being met.

The provider took action when formal complaints were received to try and improve the service. Appropriate action was taken, for example more training delivered if required. However, informal concerns were not captured as effectively by the provider.

Robust quality monitoring visits took place which included unannounced spot checks, observations, monitoring of time keeping and learning from complaints.