Carers Trust Mid Yorkshire Also known as Crossroads Care in Mid Yorkshire

This inspection took place on 9, 11 and 14 January 2019. At the time of our inspection, 145 people were receiving a service which included personal care.

Carers Trust Mid Yorkshire is a provider of direct support for carers in Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Wakefield. They provide a range of support services for carers and the people they look after. The location is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide personal care to people of all ages.

At the time of our inspection, Carers Trust Mid Yorkshire 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.

People and relatives consistently said they felt safe receiving this service. Care support workers knew how to identify and report abuse as they had received training for this.

The recruitment process required improvement in some areas to ensure this was robust. Accidents and incidents required further action to ensure the information gathered from these events was used to update care plans and risk assessments.

Risks to people had been identified and assessed and information on how to reduce the likelihood of harm was provided for care support workers.

People and relatives we spoke with were overwhelmingly positive about the quality of care they received.

People received their support on time and care support workers stayed for the full duration of their visit. Family carers received a handover at the end of a visit and care support workers recorded care they provided in daily notes. These records showed care plans were followed. Care plans were person-centred and provided care support workers with relevant information about people and their care needs. These were reviewed annually or sooner if needed.

People's equality, diversity and human rights were respected. People and relatives confirmed they were treated with dignity and respect by care support workers. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care support workers supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People and relatives knew how to complain if they were dissatisfied with their service. The October 2018 satisfaction survey showed people were happy with the way complaints were managed.

Training was a strength of the service and care support workers told us they always had training relevant to the needs of people they were caring for. Regular supervision, appraisal and team meetings ensured staff were well supported. Care support workers felt confident about approaching the senior management team if needed.

People and staff had completed satisfaction surveys which the registered provider planned to give feedback on through newsletters and on their website. Spot checks were carried out regularly which helped to ensure a high quality of care. Evidence of lessons learned was seen which showed a commitment to continuous improvement.

People confirmed they received their medication as prescribed from care support workers. We saw they had received training for this and they all had an up-to-date check of their competency. People were supported to ensure they had enough to eat and drink and their dietary needs were being met. Care support workers assisted people where they needed access to healthcare.

Strong evidence of partnership working was seen through a wide range of agencies in the community. The registered provider’s links with these services meant they were able to signpost family carers to other valuable support.

Carers Trust Mid Yorkshire is a provider of direct support for carers in Kirklees, Wakefield, Leeds and Calderdale. They provide a range of support services for carers and the people they look after. The location is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide personal care to people of all ages. At the time of our inspection they were providing personal care to 233 people, 76 of whom were under the age of 17 years, 49 aged between 18 and 65 years and 108 over the age of 65 years. Carer support workers provide regular visits to support the person’s informal carer to have a break.

There was a registered manager in post of the day of the inspection. 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.

The service was extremely well spoken of by all in receipt of its support. People told us they felt safe while being cared for by staff and informal carers were able to have a valuable rest as they were confident in the skills of the staff. Staff had a wide understanding of the remit of safeguarding and were aware of their unique monitoring role within the community as they were often present when other services were there, and all staff understood the impact of informal caring on an individual.

Risks were managed in a comprehensive manner, by thorough risk assessments of the environment and other specific tasks such as moving and handling. Staff had access to detailed step by step guidance on how to support someone safely and had received training on managing people’s more complex health conditions.

The service endeavoured to provide continuity of support for people with the same carer support worker visiting on a regular basis. If that worker was on annual leave a replacement was always arranged if this was the person’s wish. Medicines were administered and managed safely, and all staff had their competency checked at least annually.

Staff had access to an excellent induction programme which built on their own skills and ensured they developed in their knowledge and confidence. Each competence was assessed through completion of workbooks, observations and discussions. Supervision was offered on a six weekly basis and staff also had annual appraisals. All checks were recorded and evidenced in detailed notes.

The service adhered to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and all staff we spoke with understood the importance of gaining people’s consent. Staff had knowledge of how to support people with more complex behaviour and discussed with us the various techniques they would use.

People were encouraged to maintain nutrition and hydration, and the service obtained guidance from health and social care professionals where required.

Everyone we spoke with spoke highly of the care staff. They said staff were attentive and knowledgeable, and the service was a lifeline for many as this was the only break they had. People’s views were regularly obtained and care plans amended as necessary.

People told us the service met their needs as they wished them to be met and we saw in the records that people’s views were reflected. Compliments were plentiful and any minor issues were logged with the service and action taken promptly to resolve them.

We were told by all people we spoke with how invaluable the service was and staff were enthused by working for the Carers Trust. It was evident that the vision for support for carers was embedded in the organisation and everyone was seeking the same outcome. Staff told us the organisation was very well managed and they received clear direction.

The service had a zero tolerance to poor practice and this was reflected in how they inducted, trained and supported staff, with ongoing quality assurance measures which showed they were constantly seeking to improve and provide the best possible support for carers.

"I am delighted to have been offered a 2 hour support visit from Crossroads. It helps greatly to know that my mother has some company for this time to enable me to have time out. This service in itself is very good."

"The carer always listens to what I need and helps me achieve my goals."

"The care worker always gives a good standard of care and support. They show a wide interest in dementia care and they pass on information about activities or events we would possibly like."

"Makes a huge difference to my well-being knowing Mum is cared for properly."

"This excellent service allows my wife valuable time to leave our home knowing that I am well cared for. We could not do without it."

We found before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes.

People's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. We saw care plans were person centred and people's likes and dislikes were recorded in their care plan.

People's health, safety and welfare was protected when more than one provider was involved in their care and treatment, or when they moved between different services. This was because the provider worked in co-operation with others.

Medicines were handled appropriately.

People who use the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about their care and treatment and they were acted on.