Archived: The Wilf Ward Family Trust Domiciliary Care Harrogate and Northallerton

Updated 19 February 2016

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 2 and 7 December 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 was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included notifications regarding safeguarding, accidents and changes which the provider had informed us about. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We also reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR). The PIRis 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.

During this inspection we visited the office and spent time in three homes. We looked at records which related to people’s individual care. We looked at four people’s care planning documentation and other records associated with running a community care service. This included recruitment records, the staff rota, notifications and records of meetings.

A number of people who used the service were not able to communicate their views. However, we did spend time observing routines and how staff supported people. We spoke with four people who received a service, five members of staff and the registered manager. We also received written feedback from another four members of staff.

Updated 19 February 2016

This inspection took place on 2 and 7 December 2015 and was announced. The last inspection took place in December 2013 when the service was found to be meeting the Regulations.

The Wilf Ward Family Trust Domiciliary Care Harrogate and Northallerton provides personal care and support to people who have a learning disability. People who receive support live in small supported living services which are staffed according to assessed needs. The organisation currently has 14 supported living homes in the area, although not all the people require support with personal care. The aim of the service is to support people to live independently.

A registered manager was 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.

People told us they felt safe at the service. Staff were confident about how to protect people from harm and what they would do if they had any safeguarding concerns. There were good systems in place to make sure that people were supported to take medicines safely and as prescribed.

Risks to people had been assessed and plans put in place to keep risks to a minimum. The provider had effective systems to monitor and learn from any accidents or incidents.

There were enough staff on duty to make sure people’s needs were met. The provider had robust recruitment procedures to make sure staff had the required skills and were of suitable character and background.

The majority of the staff told us they enjoyed working at the service and that there was good team work. Staff were supported through training, regular supervisions and team meetings to help them carry out their roles effectively. Staff were supported by an open and accessible management team.

The manager and staff were aware of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS are put in place to protect people where their freedom of movement is restricted. The registered manager had taken appropriate action for those people for whom restricted movement was a concern. Best interest meetings were held where people had limited capacity to make decisions for themselves. People were supported to make decisions and choices for themselves, wherever possible.

People told us that staff were caring and that their privacy and dignity were respected. Care plans were person centred and showed that individual preferences were taken into account. Care plans gave clear directions to staff about the support people required to have their needs met. People were supported to maintain their health and had access to health services if needed.

People’s needs were regularly reviewed and appropriate changes were made to the support people received. People were encouraged to be involved in their support plans and had opportunities to make comments about the service and how it could be improved.

There were effective management arrangements in place. The registered manager had a good oversight of the service and was aware of areas of practice that needed to be improved. There were systems in place to look at the quality of the service provided and action was taken where shortfalls were identified. The provider made sure that the beliefs and values of the organisation were promoted throughout the service.