20 July 2016
During a routine inspection
This inspection took place on 20 July 2016. This was an announced inspection which meant the provider had prior knowledge that we would be visiting the service. This was because the location provides a domiciliary care service, and we wanted to make sure the manager would be available to support our inspection, or someone who could act on their behalf.
At the time of our inspection a regional manager and a team manager were in place at the service. The regional manager had submitted an application to The Care Quality Commission (CQC) to be the 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 regional manager and the team manager were both available throughout the inspection.
People who use the service and their relatives were positive about the care they received and praised the quality of the staff and management. Comments from people and their relatives included “I have the same group of staff, brilliant staff, they work hard” and “They are good at forming relationships with the people they support”.
Systems were in place to manage risk and protect people from abuse. Staff were aware of their responsibilities and knew what actions they needed to take to ensure people were protected.
Staff were appropriately trained and skilled. They received a thorough induction when they started working for the service. They demonstrated a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Staff had completed training to ensure the care and support provided to people was safe and effective to meet their needs.
The care records demonstrated that people’s care needs had been assessed and considered their emotional, health and social care needs. People’s care needs were regularly reviewed to ensure they received appropriate and safe care, particularly if their care needs changed.
Staff felt supported by the management team who were approachable and available if needed. The team manager regularly worked alongside staff and had a good understanding of the staff team and people who were being supported.