This inspection took place on the 16 and 17 June 2016 and was announced. The provider was given short notice of the visit to the office. This was because we needed to be sure key staff would be available at the office.There is a registered manager who manage the day to day operations of the service. 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.
Crossroads Care Rotherham is an agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. It predominantly provides the service in the Rotherham and Sheffield areas. Crossroads is a registered charity and is a not for profit organisation. At the time of this inspection the service supported 298 people with various care needs, from social support to maintaining people’s independence with full personal care needs. Visits ranged from half an hour up to four hours for social sits and to give respite to family carers. The frequency of visits ranged from one visit
per week to four visits per day depending on people individual needs.
We received some outstanding feedback from people we spoke with. They told us that, “The service is marvellous, outstanding and staff are kind and considerate.” One person said, “They are like part of my family, they always turn up with a smile on their face and treat me with respect, they are like angels.” Another person said, “Nothing is too much trouble for the girls [staff].”
People told us they felt safe knowing that they [the staff] would do their best to enable them to maintain their independence. We saw there were robust systems in place to manage risks to people. For example, we saw staff had made referrals to the falls team and referrals for equipment to keep people safe. This demonstrated that they had acted on the information gained at the assessment which ensured people were safe.
The service actively involved people in their assessment which enabled them to make choices about the support they needed to help them to be as independent as possible. The service was flexible which meant times of visits could change if people had to attend hospital or any other health related appointments. One person we spoke with confirmed this they said, “Crossroads are excellent, they have changed my times to suit hospital appointments. I could not manage at home without them.”
The service had actively worked with the Rotherham Ethnic Minority Alliance [REMA] to promote Crossroads services within the diverse population of Rotherham. REMA had also translated leaflets so that they were accessible in different languages. They also provided training to Crossroads staff on ‘An introduction to Islam and Muslim Communities.’
They had also played an active role alongside the Alzheimer's Society in establishing the BME Memory Café at the Unity Centre in Rotherham. The café had raised awareness of dementia and the services available to people with dementia and their carers in Rotherham. The café had been very well attended by the BME community.
Peoples care and support was planned in partnership with them and their relatives and they told us they always received support from a regular team of care workers who understood their needs. One relative said, “We are highly delighted with the care, we could not wish for nicer caring people.” Care plans contained detailed step by step instructions for care staff to follow to meet the needs of people who used the service.
The registered manager told us that all staff were trained to undertake risk assessments which meant they could identify any issues both in the home environment or risks to people’s safety while in the community. The service also had clear lone worker policies which protected staff when working alone in the community.
People were supported to take their medication safely and the care records identified the level of support needed for each person. The service ensured that priority for visits were given to support medication calls to ensure that people’s medication needs was given at the time prescribed. For example, Parkinson specific medications which may be needed to kick start people’s mobility, and people who were required to take their insulin at a specific time.
People and their relatives knew how to make a complaint and were able to share their views and opinions about the service they received. The provider listened to all complaints and made sure people were confident their complaints would be taken seriously. There were also surveys in place to allow people and their relatives the opportunity to feedback about the care and treatment they received.
The service promoted an open and honest culture and the managers and care co-ordinators were transparent in their discussions with us. Staff spoke highly of their teams and felt well supported by their care co-ordinators. Staff were confident they could raise any concerns or issues, knowing they would be listened to and acted on. Staff said, “This is the best job I have had. I love my work and get a lot of satisfaction from helping people to live well in their own home.” Another said, “I have worked in care for many years but this is like working for a big family. The values and expectations of us all means we work as a team.”
People told us that staff were very professional and always respected their dignity when undertaking personal care tasks. Staff we spoke with were highly motivated to provide a good service to people they supported. One staff member said, “This is the best service, we work to the same values and ensure people are cared for as if they were our own relative.”
Staff working at the service were recruited safely and were able to complete training to meet the support people needed. The service also enabled staff to undertake nationally recognised training to help them progress in their work. The service prided themselves on supporting people living well with dementia and had a team of care support workers dedicated to the role. A care co-ordinator was a dementia champion and had developed links with the Alzheimer’s society.
The registered manager was very committed to continuous improvement and feedback from people, whether positive or negative, and it was used as an opportunity for improvement. The registered manager demonstrated a good understanding of the importance of effective quality assurance systems. There were processes in place to monitor quality and understand the experiences of people who used the service. The registered manager demonstrated strong values and a desire to learn about and implement best practice throughout the service.
People and their relatives spoke very positively about the registered manager. People felt the service was very well led and organised and this helped to ensure they received effective care and support.