Spinal Homecare Services Limited

Updated 11 December 2018

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 between 1 and 9 November 2018 and was announced. We contacted the registered manager of the service on 31 October 2018 to give notice of our visit on the following day because we needed to ensure the registered and care managers were available.

Inspection site visit activity included speaking to people who used the service and to the staff employed. We visited the office location on 1 November 2018 to speak with the registered manager and to review care records, staff records and records related to the management of the service. With the permission of three people who used the service we also visited them in their own homes.

The inspection was carried out by two adult social care inspectors and an expert-by-experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of caring for someone who has used this type of service. The expert-by-experience had experience of caring for older people and people with disabilities.

During the inspection we contacted 15 people who used the service. We also contacted three staff members and spoke with the HR manager and two care managers.

We looked at care records for seven people who used the service and recruitment, training and personnel records for five staff. We also looked at records around how the service was managed including quality audits, staff rotas and feedback the registered manager had received from people who used the service, their families, care staff and professionals who supported people who used the service.

Before the inspection, the registered manager completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks for key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed the information we held about the agency, including the information in the PIR, before we visited the service. We also contacted health and social care teams to gather their views of the service. We also used a planning tool to collate all this evidence and information prior to visiting the service.

Updated 11 December 2018

Spinal Homecare Services Limited provides Care at Home services. This service is a specialist domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people providing specialist support on a live-in basis for adults with spinal cord injury and other physical disabilities throughout the UK. It also provides personal care and domestic support for people living in their own homes in the rural community areas of the Lune Valley.

At our last inspection in May 2016 we rated the service as good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

There was a registered manager in post who is also one of the directors of the registered provider. 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.

There were sufficient numbers of suitable staff to meet people's needs. Induction training was comprehensive and training was on going. Staff were supported by the registered and care managers through regular staff meetings, supervision and appraisals.

When employing fit and proper persons the recruitment procedures had included all the required checks of suitability.

Hazards to people's safety had been identified and appropriately managed.

People's dignity and privacy were actively promoted by the staff supporting them.

People were given the opportunity to select their staff and who they were most compatible with. People received care from a team of staff who they knew well and treated them with respect.

Everyone we spoke with made very positive comments about the service provided and the staff who supported them.

Auditing and quality monitoring systems were in place that allowed the service to demonstrate it was safe and well managed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People told us this was an excellent service and said they would recommend it.

People received the support they needed to take their medicines safely. The staff identified if people were unwell and supported them to contact health professionals.

People were asked for their consent before care was provided and the decisions they made were respected.

Further information is in the detailed findings below