Archived: New Partnerships Care

Updated 6 July 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.

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

The inspection was carried out by one inspector. We visited the office location on 4 June 2018 to see the manager and to review care records and policies and procedures. We also visited people in their homes on the 4 June 2018 and spoke to relatives by telephone on the 5 and 6 June 2018.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service, including the Provider Information Return (PIR) which the provider completed before the inspection. The PIR 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. We also reviewed previous reports and notifications that are held on the CQC database. Notifications are important events that the service has to let the CQC know about. We also reviewed information received from a local authority.

On the day of the inspection we met the manager at their office and spoke with them and the locality manager. We reviewed two care records, training records, three staff recruitment and support files, audits and minutes of staff meetings. We also met six people who use the service and spoke with four staff. Following the site visit we spoke with two relatives by telephone.

Updated 6 July 2018

The inspection took place on the 4 June 2018 and was announced.

New Partnerships Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and supported living. It provides a service to people with learning disabilities. There are currently 12 people using the service.

The service provides care and support to people living in seven supported living settings, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen. Registering the Right Support CQC policy

The provider has recently appointed a new manager however they are not yet registered with the CQC. 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 service was safe. Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. There were systems in place to minimise the risk of infection. People were cared for safely by staff who had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks had been completed. People’s needs were met by sufficient numbers of staff. Medication was dispensed by staff who had received training to do so.

The service was effective. People were cared for and supported by staff who had received training to support people to meet their needs. The registered manager had a good understanding of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. 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 were supported to eat and drink enough as to ensure they maintained a balanced diet and referrals to other health professionals were made when required.

The service was caring. Staff cared for people in an empathetic and kind manner. Staff had a good understanding of people’s preferences of care. Staff always worked hard to promote people’s independence through encouraging and supporting people to make informed choices.

The service was responsive. People and their relatives were involved in the planning and review of their care. Care plans were reviewed on a regular basis and also when there was a change in care needs. People were supported to follow their interests and participate in social activities. The registered manager responded to complaints received in a timely manner.

The service was not consistently well-led. The service had appointed a new manager who was now providing leadership. The new manager had a good overview of the service and had taken steps to put systems in place to monitor and review care.