Archived: Mencap - Staffordshire Domiciliary Care Agency

Mencap Staffordshire domiciliary care agency is a care at home service providing personal care to people who may have learning difficulties. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection six people were receiving assistance with their personal care needs.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Where people were supported with medication, we found it was not documented appropriately, for example on a medication administration record. However, staff were aware of people’s medication needs. Risk’s to people were assessed and people told us they felt safe. We found people were protected from potential abuse and the risk of cross infection as staff wore personal protective equipment when supporting people with their personal care.

Governance systems required strengthening. The provider had a clear vision for the service and staff told us management were approachable. The service worked in partnership with other professionals

People’s needs, and choices were assessed, and care plans detailed how people liked to be supported. Staff had received training to ensure they delivered care effectively and people were supported to maintain good health.

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

People were supported by staff who knew them well. One person told us staff were, “Very kind” and they were happy with the care they received. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.

Support plans were personalised to meet people’s preferences and people told us staff knew their likes and dislikes. The provider was following the Accessible Information Standard and people told us they knew how to complain. At the time of inspection nobody was receiving end of life care and support.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 19 March 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Mencap- Staffordshire Domiciliary Care agency provides personal care to people with learning disabilities in their own homes. There were 10 people using the service at the time of the inspection.

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.

Management and staff knew what constituted abuse and who they should report it to if they thought someone had been abused.

Risks to people were assessed and minimised through the effective use of risk assessment and staff knowledge of people and their risks. There were sufficient numbers of suitably trained staff to keep people safe and they had been employed using safe recruitment procedures.

Medication was administered by trained staff that had been assessed as competent prior to administering alone.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) is designed to protect people who cannot make decisions for themselves or lack the mental capacity to do so. The provider worked within the guidelines of the MCA which ensured that people consented to their care, treatment and support with the support of their representatives if they lacked capacity.

Care was personalised and met people’s individual needs and preferences. The provider had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to use it.

Staff were supported to fulfil their role effectively. There was a regular programme of training that was relevant to the needs of people, which was kept up to date.

People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts to maintain a healthy lifestyle dependent on their specific needs.

People were supported to access a wide range of health professionals .When people became unwell staff responded and sought the appropriate support.

People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff knew the providers whistle blowing policy and felt assured that their concerns would be taken seriously.

The provider had systems in place to regularly monitor and review the quality of the service.