Archived: Action for Children Disability Lincolnshire

As part of our inspection we visited the office of Action for Children Disability Lincolnshire and looked at management records, care records and other documentation.

During our inspection we spoke with 15 relatives of people who received care. We visited and spoke with a family member and one person who received support together with the manager. We also spoke with the manager and nine staff members who provided support for people.

The focus of the inspection was to answer five key questions; is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what we found, the records we looked at and what people who used the service, their relatives and staff told us.

If you want to see the evidence supporting the summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

Two relatives we spoke with said they felt their family member was supported safely by the staff who provided care. They made comments which ranged from, 'XXX needs the use of very sensitive moving and handling support. The support workers are really understanding and safety conscious' and 'They (staff) work really well with the other professionals that visit. Good communication and openness helps XXX to be cared for safely.'

Procedures were in place for safeguarding vulnerable children and adults. Staff had received training and knew what to do in the event of suspected abuse.

People were helped to stay safe by avoiding risks to their health and safety. Staff had assessed and managed potential risks together with the person and their representative to identify how risks could be reduced. Individual risk assessments took account of the environment within people's homes as well as their care and support needs.

Is the service effective?

A relative told us, 'They have always been on time. If there is a need to change carers they let us know well in advance so we can agree who is coming and when.' Visits to people's homes had been undertaken on time, staff had completed the required tasks and they had stayed for the correct time. These measures contributed to people receiving a service that provided them with effective care at home.

We found up to date and detailed care plans were in place to meet people's needs. People, their relatives, representatives and staff who worked with them were involved in developing the care plans.

People were allocated a small team of staff to provide their care and support in order to help with a consistent approach for them. We also found the manager made sure staff had enough travel time between visits and enough time to carry out the care and support that people needed.

Is the service caring?

We spoke with people who were supported by the service. We asked them for their opinions about the staff that supported them. Feedback from people was positive, for example, a relative we spoke with said, 'The staff are extremely caring. The bond building between XXX and the support worker is critical and I feel we have been able to develop that bond by having the same carers. This enables the care to be personalised for XXX and not just another series of care tasks.'

When speaking with staff it was clear that they genuinely cared for the people they supported. One staff member told us, 'The people we support are at the centre of everything we do.'

We saw that people's individual needs were assessed and met. This also included people's individual choices and preferences about how they wanted to be cared for. We saw individual care plans developed from the completed assessments were available for people to view at any time and were kept up to date.

Is the service responsive?

We saw people were supported to have the care they needed, when they needed it. A relative told us, 'Staff are flexible in making changes to make sure there is cover when XXX is poorly. They always stay for additional time if we need it.'

Where changes to care needs had been identified, staff acted promptly to respond to the changes needed and update their records.

People knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy and informal concerns were addressed immediately. The manager responded quickly to any formal complaints raised with them and followed their complaints policy to make sure complaints were investigated within the timescales set and in the right way.

Is the service well led?

The service worked well with other agencies and services to ensure people received their care in a joined up way. The provider had a quality assurance process in place with records which showed that any shortfalls identified were addressed.

Staff were provided with a set period induction when they started to work for the agency and a package of training which included subjects related to people's needs.

Staff said they felt supported by the management structures in place to provide person centred care for the people who used the service. Staff told us they were clear about their roles and had a good understanding of the ethos of the service. This helped to ensure people received a good quality service at all times.