Background to this inspection
Updated
9 November 2018
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 was a comprehensive inspection which took place on 18 September 2018. The inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 hours' notice of the inspection visit because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure someone would be at the service.
The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector.
Prior to our inspection visit we reviewed the information we held about the service, for example notifications. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. In addition, we spoke with commissioners and health care professionals about their views and experience of the service.
The provider completed and returned a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at this information to help us plan our inspection.
As part of the inspection we spoke with 10 people who used the service via telephone calls. We spoke with seven members of staff employed at the service including a supervisor, the acting manager and the senior reablement manager. We contacted five health and social care professionals. We did not receive any comments or concerns from them. We reviewed a sample of care records belonging to four of the people who used the service (pathway tracking) and reviewed some of the records that had been kept about the general operation and safety of the service.
Following the inspection visit we asked the acting manager to send us some information. We asked for copies of some of the provider’s policies and procedures including; the safeguarding procedures, medication policy, infection control and the process for obtaining consent. The information was provided in a timely manner.
Updated
9 November 2018
Cumbria Care Domiciliary and Reablement Service (Carlisle) provides personal care and a reablement service to people living in their own homes. The agency operates out of permanent offices located next to Petteril House residential home on Lightfoot Drive on the outskirts of Carlisle City Centre.
The reablement service provides intensive support for up to six weeks to enable people to become more independent in their own homes after a time in hospital or a spell of illness. The agency can only provide care purchased through the local authority.
At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.
At the time of our inspection visit, the service did not have a registered manager. 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. The provider was in the process of recruiting a new manager and following our inspection they confirmed that one had been appointed. In the interim period, the service was being supported by another, experienced manager.
There were systems in place to help make sure people were safe and protected from the risks of harm or abuse.
Medicines were managed safely and people were supported to maintain control over their own medicines. Medication protocols were in the process of being reviewed and updated by the provider.
People had been involved in the development of their support and reablement plans. This helped to make sure that the care provided was specific to their needs and goals.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People received assessments of their care needs before any support had been provided to them. The people we spoke with during the inspection told us that they had been asked about the care and the support they wanted.
People had access to other health and social care services and the reablement team worked closely with them. This helped to ensure people remained independent and in their own homes for as long as possible.
The service had clear strategies and plans around supporting people to remain independent. There were systems in place to help make sure the service operated effectively and safely. People who used the service and staff working at the service were able to make comments about the standard and quality of the service.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.