Archived: Supreme Healthcare services

Updated 3 March 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 25 and 26 January 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service which included notifications they had sent us. Notifications are sent to the Care Quality Commission to inform us of events relating to the service.

We also considered the information we had received via surveys sent to people who use the service and other stakeholders. Eight people, six staff, two relatives and one community professional had completed surveys. A provider information return had not been requested from the service. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with the manager, care co-ordinator, a member of the care team, the quality director and the provider. After the inspection we received feedback from four members of the care team and spoke with three people who use the service and three relatives. We also received feedback from the local authority quality and contracts team. We looked at records relating to the management of the service including six people’s care plans, daily notes and medicines administration records. We also looked at six staff recruitment files, training and support records, policies, complaints log and accident/incident records.

Updated 3 March 2016

This inspection took place on 25 and 26 January 2016 and was unannounced. Supreme Healthcare Services is a domiciliary care service and at the time of the inspection was providing personal care to eighteen people living in their own homes.

At the time of the inspection there was no registered manager in post. However, there was a manager in charge of the day to day running of the service who was in the process of applying to the Care Quality Commission to become registered. 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 and their relatives were happy with the service they received from Supreme Healthcare Services. They told us they felt safe using the service. People said they were treated with kindness and they were shown respect. People’s dignity was preserved when they received personal care and they were supported to remain as independent as they wished. People received their medicines when they required them and medicines were managed safely.

Risks to people and staff were assessed and managed effectively. Staff had good knowledge and showed awareness of how to keep people safe. They understood the policies and procedures used to safeguard people. They were confident that any concerns that might be reported would be addressed by the management. Recruitment procedures were effective and helped to ensure suitable staff were employed to care for people.

The provider had policies and procedures designed to deal with emergency situations. Staff showed knowledge and understanding of how to deal with emergencies.

People’s right to make decisions was protected. Staff sought people’s consent before providing support and care. People were treated as individuals and the support planned was focussed on them. People and where appropriate their relatives had been involved in making decisions about their care. They felt involved in discussions and told us their views were listened to.

Staff received on-going training. They were supported through one to one supervision meetings and team meetings. This helped to ensure they had the skills to care for people safely and effectively. They were offered opportunities to develop their skills further and gain qualifications. Staff were comfortable to approach the manager for advice. Regular communication from the manager to the staff team in the form of memos provided additional support and guidance.

Where there were concerns regarding a person’s well-being, staff contacted healthcare professionals promptly to seek advice. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink when this was part of their identified care needs. Up to date information concerning people or changes to their care was communicated promptly to staff.

Feedback was sought from people using the service and other stakeholders. This helped the manager to monitor the quality of the service. The service was effectively monitored by the quality director and the manager. A complaints policy was available. When complaints had been raised they had been investigated and resolved appropriately.