Archived: Crediton Care Services

Updated 2 September 2015

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.

This inspection took place on 13, 14, 21 and 24 July 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

The inspection team consisted of an inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses domiciliary care services.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This 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 the information we held about the home and notifications we had received. Notifications are forms completed by the organisation about certain events which affect people in their care.

We spoke with 14 people receiving a service, including visiting one person in their home, two relatives and six members of staff, which included the registered manager and providers. We reviewed five people’s care files, three staff files, staff training records and a selection of policies and procedures and records relating to the management of the service. Following our visit we sought feedback from health and social care professionals to obtain their views of the service provided to people.

Updated 2 September 2015

This inspection took place on 13, 14, 21 and 24 July 2015 and was announced. The provider was given short notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. This was Crediton Care Services first inspection since registering with the Care Quality Commission in July 2013.

Crediton Care Services provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes in Crediton and the surrounding areas. At the time of our inspection there were 65 people receiving a service.

When we visited there was a registered manager in post. 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.

Service checks were completed on a regular, but informal basis. The management team recognised that records were not robust because they spent so much time working alongside people in the community. They knew that paperwork was not always completed because their main focus was on caring for people. They accepted that their record keeping needed to improve.

People felt they received personalised care and support specific to their needs. However, records lacked personalised detail.

Staff did not receive formal supervision and appraisals in order for them to feel supported in their roles and to identify any future professional development opportunities.

People felt safe and staff were able to demonstrate a good understanding of what constituted abuse and how to report if concerns were raised. People’s individual risks were identified and the necessary risk assessment reviews were carried out to keep people safe. People’s rights were protected because the service followed the appropriate processes.

People’s preferences, views and suggestions were taken into account to improve the service. They were supported to maintain a balanced diet. Health and social care professionals were regularly involved in people’s care to ensure they received the right care and treatment.

Staff relationships with people were strong, caring and supportive.

Staffing arrangements were flexible in order to meet people’s individual needs. Staff received a range of training to keep their skills up to date in order to support people appropriately. Staff spoke positively about communication and how the management team worked well with them, encouraged team working and an open culture.

We found a number of breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.