Archived: Stonham Bradford

Updated 14 September 2017

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.

We visited the provider’s offices on 21 and 28 July 2017 and 4 August 2017. The inspection was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager was available. The inspection was carried out by one inspector. At the time of inspection the service was only providing care and support to seven people.

During the visit to the provider’s office we looked at the care records of three people who used the service, staff recruitment files and training records and other records relating to the day to day running of the service. We also spoke with one person who used the service, the registered manager, the business contract manager and four staff members.

Following the visit to the provider’s offices we carried out telephone interviews with two relatives and one person who used the service. We also visited two people who used the service and spoke with a further two staff members.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included looking at information we had received about the service and statutory notifications the registered manager had sent us. We also contacted the Local Authority Commissioning Unit.

We also asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). 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. The registered provider returned the PIR and we took this into account when we made judgements in this report.

Updated 14 September 2017

Stonham Bradford provides support within the domestic environment and wider community to enable people to live independently in their own homes. At the time of this inspection the service supported seven people with personal care. Most people who used the service were adults who lived with a learning disability but the agency also provides care and support to older people, younger adults, people living with a physical disability and people living with mental health problems.

We inspected Stonham Bradford on the 21, 28 July 2017 and 4 August 2017. We announced the first day of inspection 48 hours prior to our arrival to make sure the registered manager would be available.

Our last inspection took place on the 7 and 8 December 2015 and at that time we found the service was not meeting one of the regulations we looked at. This related to safe care and treatment and the overall rating for the service was required improvement. This inspection was therefore carried out to see what improvements had been made since the last inspection.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

We found staff received training to protect people from harm and they were knowledgeable about reporting any suspected harm. Staff told us the training provided by the agency was very good and they received the training and support required to carry out their roles effectively.

People had a range of individualised risk assessments in place to keep them safe and to help them maintain their independence. Staff were aware of people’s needs and followed guidance to keep them safe.

The feedback we received from people who used the service or their relatives about the standard of care provided was consistently good and people told us staff were reliable and conscientious.

The support plans we looked at were person centred and were reviewed on a regular basis to make sure they provided accurate and up to date information. The staff we spoke with told us they used the support plans as working documents and the information provided enabled them to carry out their role effectively and in people's best interest.

People’s nutritional needs were met. People were given choices and were supported to have their meals when they needed them. Staff treated people with kindness and respect and promoted people’s independence and right to privacy. People received care that was personalised to meet their needs. People were supported to maintain their health and received their medicines as prescribed.

There were a sufficient number of staff employed for operational purposes and the staff recruitment process ensured only people suitable to work in the caring profession were employed.

The registered manager demonstrated a good understanding of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and staff demonstrated good knowledge of the people they supported and their capacity to make decisions.

There was a complaints procedure available which enabled people to raise any concerns or complaints about the care or support they received. People told us they felt able to raise any concerns with the registered manager and felt these would be listened to and responded to effectively and in a timely manner.

There was a quality assurance monitoring system in place that was designed to continually monitor and identify shortfalls in service provision. Leadership within the service was well structured, open and transparent and promoted strong organisational values. This resulted in a caring culture that put people using the service at the centre. People, their relatives and staff were complimentary about the management team and how the service was run.