Archived: North Reablement Service

Following that visit we found minor concerns that support plans were not always available for staff to read. Sometimes support plans were also handwritten and illegible. We also found that the provider did not have a system in place to monitor incidents and staff training effectively.

During our inspection on 18 June 2013 we found that support plans and assessments were now available in a person's home in time for the first staff visit. On most occasions the support plans and assessments were typed instead of being handwritten. This meant staff had access to legible information about how to provide care and support.

However we also found that support plans did not always contain adequate information about people's health needs. This meant that records did not provide staff with proper information in order to provide safe and appropriate care and support.

We saw that the registered manager now had a system in place which enabled them to monitor staff training and identify when training updates were required. Team managers' meetings were held every month which included a review of any incidents and near misses. This meant there were systems in place to assess and monitor possible risks.

'They've been very helpful'.

'They're doing a good job in looking after me'.

'They're very pleasant, very nice'

'They're very caring, they couldn't have been nicer'

'They're polite'.

People who used the service had initial assessments and care plans in place. However staff told us that these were not always available for them to view. As a result they were not always fully aware of people's needs when they first started to provide care and support. This meant the provider did not have effective systems to ensure staff were given the necessary information for them to provide people with safe and appropriate care and support.

The provider had some systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided. However there was no robust audit system for the provider to identify and address the issues we found in relation to care plans. We also found the provider did not have an effective system in place for monitoring staff training requirements.

We saw that care and support requirements were agreed with people and consent was obtained before any care or support was provided. People were supported by staff who had been assessed as fit, appropriately qualified and able to do their job.