2 October 2013
During a routine inspection
We found that assessment and care planning for people's care was done by the main provider of their domiciliary care. We saw that information available about their care was not always sufficiently detailed to ensure people's needs were fully met. The managers and staff North East Rapid Response planned people's care as effectively as possible, however, with the available information to ensure it was as safe and appropriate as possible.
An effective complaints procedure was in place for people receiving care and managers also recorded comments, concerns and commendations at the local office.
We found the consent for people's care should be obtained when people's assessment and care plans were completed. Records we saw did not show, however, that this had been done. This meant that although staff at North East Rapid Response verbally checked that people were happy with their care that consent had not been properly obtained. We also found that where people were not able to provide their own consent, for example due to dementia, that the correct procedures had not been used for making decisions about their care.
We found that sufficient experienced and skilled staff were available to provide people's care.