Archived: Regard Partnership -South Regional Office

We carried out this inspection to evidence whether compliance actions made at our inspection in August 2012 had been met. These compliance actions related to staff numbers and the support provided to staff to perform their roles. We received concerns about staff working excessive hours and being late for visits. Staff raised issues about the quality of training they received.

During our visit we examined two care plans, one staff file and spoke with the manager and two members of staff. We also spoke with one person who used the service. We looked at records relating to staff training and supervision.

To assess whether the provider had suitable systems in place to achieve ongoing compliance, we looked at their quality assurance systems.

We found that significant changes had been made to how staff were organised. This meant that people received a consistent service. Staff were arranged in teams and allocated to specific people that used the service.

Staff training had been reviewed and included 'face to face' training alongside e-learning.

The provider had an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people who use the service and others.

People were supported to maintain their independent living skills and keep in contact with families and friends. People were able to make choices about how they spent their day and there were sufficient numbers of staff to support them. However, scheduling of care workers did not always allow sufficient travel time and this impacted on the length of visits and care given.

People's care plans were developed from an assessment of need and had been updated and reviewed regularly.

People were protected from the risk of harm by satisfactory infection control policies and procedures. Staff were provided with appropriate equipment if needed.

Staff received regular supervision and training. Some staff told us that the training they had been given did not always meet their needs. This meant that they did not always feel properly trained to give the support people needed.

Accurate and appropriate records were maintained and stored securely.