Westcountry Case Management Ltd

Updated 12 March 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was undertaken by one adult social care inspector.

Service and service type

This service is registered as a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats through case management. Case management is a collaborative process of assessment, facilitation, care co-ordination, evaluation and advocacy. This enables individuals who have experienced life changing events to have the options and services to meet their complex health needs, ensuring they have access to the resources they require to live their best lives.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period notice of the inspection because we needed to be sure the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. In addition, we needed to arrange to meet some people in their homes and gain their consent to do so.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We visited the service's office in Bishopsteignton and visited one person with their consent in their own home. We spoke with three support staff, and the registered manager, information technology (IT) manager, two human resources (HR) managers, training manager, office manager, team leader, two case managers and the director. We spoke with six people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people's care records, medication records, audits, training records and four staff files.

After the inspection

We received emails from three relatives about their experience with the service. We also received information from three additional team leaders and two support staff who worked further afield, sharing their views on Westcountry Case Management. We received emails from a legal deputy trustee and an external training provider about their working relationships with the service.

Updated 12 March 2020

About the service

Westcountry Case Management (WCM) is a specialist agency which provides case management support and advice to children and adults who have sustained complex life changing injuries such as an acquired brain injury, spinal injury or cerebral palsy. Forty case managers worked with people to set up and coordinate their rehabilitation, care and support needs mainly funded by legal compensation claims. Westcountry Case Management staff oversee the recruitment process, training and performance management of support workers employed directly by the people using the service.

The service is registered to provide personal care. At the time of our inspection there were 34 people receiving the regulated activities provided by the service from Cornwall to Hampshire.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

People were at the heart of the service and were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff had completed a high level of specialist training which provided them with the expertise to assess, monitor and support people with their complex needs. The service worked closely with other health and social care professionals and lawyers involved in people's care to ensure they received a high level of care and support. Staff supported people in a very person-centred way, tailored to individual complex needs and preferences to ensure they lived their best lives following life changing events.

There were very robust and high-quality governance systems in place to assess and monitor the service provided, with regular detailed reports also sent to the fee payers, (commissioners and lawyers). People's views were extremely valued and used to drive improvement. There was a complaints procedure in place. Care assessment and planning records were extremely detailed to enable close monitoring of peoples’ care, progress and future planning individual to them.

Risks in people's daily lives were assessed and mitigated with a focus on positive risk taking. Staff were provided with safeguarding training and understood how to keep people safe. Recruitment of staff was bespoke to each persons’ care management package and completed safely with peoples’ involvement. There were sufficient staff numbers and flexibility to provide the care and support required by people to meet their needs. People were supported to take their medicines safely, where this was required. Infection control procedures were in place.

People were matched with bespoke staff teams suitable to meet each individuals’ needs. Staff were very caring and compassionate and knew people extremely well, often building up close long term relationships. A separate WCM staff team were available to respond quickly when peoples’ personal staff were unavailable. People's rights to dignity, independence and privacy were promoted and respected. People's choices were always sought, valued and used to plan their care.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last comprehensive inspection rating for this service was good (published 29 April 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.