Background to this inspection
Updated
30 June 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 was 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.
This inspection took place on 31 May 2017. It was an announced inspection. We told the provider one day before our visit that we would be coming. We did this because the manager is sometimes out of the office supporting staff or visiting people who use the service. We needed to be sure that someone would be available. This inspection was carried out by one inspector.
We spoke with six people, two by visiting their homes, two relatives and seven care staff. We also spoke with one Locality Manager, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the person who was currently in the process of registering as the manager of Carers Trust Thames. We looked at seven care records, three staff files and medicine administration records. We also looked at a range of records relating to the management of the service. The methods we used to gather information included pathway tracking, which captures the experiences of a sample of people by following a person’s care route through the service and obtaining their views about their care.
We reviewed any notifications we had received about the service. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about in law.
Updated
30 June 2017
We undertook an announced inspection of Carers Trust Thames on 31 May 2017.
Carers Trust Thames is a voluntary organisation which provides care and support to carers and people with personal care needs. The agency provides support and personal care to children, younger adults and older people. On the day of our inspection 50 people were using the service.
There was not a registered manager in post. However, an application was being processed at the Care Quality Commission. 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.
People and relative’s told us they felt people were safe. Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding people.
Staff had received regular training to make sure they stayed up to date with recognising and reporting safety concerns. The service had systems in place to notify the appropriate authorities where concerns were identified. People received their medicine as prescribed.
People benefitted from caring relationships with the staff. One person said “They (staff) are fine on the whole, I am happy with them”. People and their relatives were involved in their care and people’s independence was actively promoted. Relatives and people told us their dignity was promoted.
Where risks to people had been identified, risk assessments were in place and action had been taken to manage these risks. Staff sought people’s consent and involved them in their care where ever possible.
Staff knew their responsibility under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. One staff member said “It’s about making a decision and recognising some people can make decisions for different things. You don’t assume a person has not capacity, it’s not a blanket assessment. We will work with professional teams and their relative to ensure the person’s best interest is at the forefront”.
There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. The service had safe recruitment procedures and conducted background checks to ensure staff were suitable for their role.
People were supported with their nutrition and their preferences were respected. Where people had specific nutritional needs, staff were aware of these and ensured they were met.
People and relatives told us they were confident they would be listened to and action would be taken if they raised a concern. The service had systems to assess the quality of the service provided. Systems were in place that ensured people were protected against the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care.
Staff mainly spoke positively about the support they received from their locality manager and the senior management team. Staff supervision was regular as were annual appraisals. We saw staff meetings took place to provide good communication with staff. Staff told us the management team were approachable and there was a good level of communication within the service.
People and their relatives told us the staff and the service was very friendly, responsive and well managed. People and their relatives knew the management team and had contact details including emergency telephone numbers. The service sought people’s views and opinions and acted on them. Staff comments included; “I love doing my job, the clients and staff are great” and “I am well supported, I am only a phone call away if I need to ask anything”.