The inspection took place on 11 and 12 November 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location was a domiciliary care agency and we needed to be sure that someone would be present in the office.
The D.O.V.E Project is a Domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people with a learning disability who live in their own homes. On the day of the inspection twelve people were supported by The D.O.V.E Project with their personal care needs.
The service had 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.
On the day of the inspection staff within the office were relaxed, there was a calm and friendly atmosphere. Everybody had a clear role within the service. Information we requested was supplied promptly, records were clear, easy to follow and comprehensive.
People spoke highly about the care and support they received, one person said, “Staff are all really lovely and caring”. Care records were personalised and gave people control over all aspects of their lives. Staff responded quickly to people’s change in needs. People or where appropriate those who mattered to them, were involved in regularly reviewing their needs and how they would like to be supported. People’s preferences were identified and respected.
Staff put people at the heart of their work; they exhibited a kind and compassionate attitude towards people. Strong relationships had been developed and practice was person focused and not task led. Staff had full appreciation of how to respect people’s individual needs around their privacy and dignity.
People’s risks were managed well and monitored. People were promoted to live full and active lives. Staff were highly motivated, creative in finding ways to overcome obstacles that restricted people’s independence.
People medicines were managed safely. People received their medicines as prescribed, on time and understood what they were for. People were supported to maintain good health through regular access to health and social care professionals, such as GPs, social workers, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.
People told us they felt safe. Comments included, “I definitely feel safe” and “I feel very safe and secure”. All staff had undertaken training on safeguarding vulnerable adults from abuse, they displayed good knowledge on how to report any concerns and described what action they would take to protect people against harm. Staff told us they felt confident any incidents or allegations would be fully investigated.
People were supported by staff who confidently made use of their knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act (2005), to make sure people were involved in decisions about their care and their human and legal rights were respected.
People were supported by staff teams who had received a comprehensive induction programme, and tailored training that reflected their individual needs. A health care professional commented, staff were very effective at carrying out what they had learnt, and followed advice with skill and enthusiasm.
People were protected by the service’s safe recruitment practices. Staff underwent the necessary checks which determined they were suitable to work with vulnerable adults, before they started their employment.
The service had a policy and procedure in place for dealing with any concerns or complaints.
No written complaints had been made to the service in the past twelve months.
Staff described the management to be supportive and approachable. Staff talked positively about their jobs. Comments included, “I love my job, it’s both challenging and rewarding and I love it”, “It’s different every day, I get so much enjoyment from making a difference. I know what I need to do and I have the right tools to do it, I love my job” and, “It is a real family atmosphere here, everyone is motivated to do well for the people and each other”.
There were effective quality assurance systems in place. Incidents of concern were appropriately recorded and analysed. Learning from incidents and concerns raised were used to help drive improvement and ensure positive progress was made in the delivery of care and support provided by the service.