Archived: Wessex Regional Care Domiciliary Service

Updated 4 March 2015

We undertook this inspection on the 12 and 15 August 2014. The inspection team consisted of an inspector and an expert by experience who carried out telephone calls to ask people and staff what they thought of the service provided by Wessex Regional Care Domiciliary Service. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert by experience had worked in learning disability services and adult social care.

Before the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also looked at safeguarding and other significant event notifications the provider had sent to us since our last inspection.

We spoke with five people who used the service and looked at seven people’s care records. We visited people in their own homes. A number of people were unable to speak with us as they communicated non-verbally. We were able to observe some people receiving support when we visited their home to speak with other people.

We spoke with eight members of staff, the registered manager, the service manager and the managing director of the provider company. We looked at 12 staff member’s records including staff recruitment, training and supervision records. Records of complaints, staff rotas and satisfaction surveys were seen, as well as policies and procedures. We spoke with a commissioner who purchased services on behalf of people. We also spoke with a healthcare professional who visited people in their homes.

Updated 4 March 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

The inspection was announced and was undertaken on the 12 and 15 June 2014. We gave the provider three days’ notice prior to the inspection. The service is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure they were in. On our last inspection on 25 July 2013 no concerns were noted.

Wessex Regional Care Domiciliary Service is a provider of domiciliary and supported living services. They support people to live independently in their own home or with their families. Their supported living services are provided in five houses where people share tenancy with other people who live there. They provide personal care and help to develop independence for 36 people who have a range of learning disabilities.

There is a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and shares the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law with the provider.

People told us they felt safe with the staff supporting them and they had no concerns about their safety. The provider’s safeguarding policies and procedures were known to staff and they told us what they would do if they suspected abuse was occurring. There were robust recruitment processes in place which made sure staff were suitable to work with people who could be at risk. People and staff told us there were enough staff available to deliver care.

Each person had an individual care plan which was based on need areas identified by an assessment. This guided staff on how people wished to be supported and the tasks that were required to be done to support the person. These were reviewed and updated regularly and included people‘s views where possible. Mental capacity assessments were carried out where people may not have the capacity to make certain decisions. In some cases meetings were held to agree what decisions should be made to reflect the person’s best interest.

People’s privacy and dignity were respected by staff who showed a caring attitude towards people. Each person had an allocated key worker. (A key worker is a member of staff who is responsible for working with certain people and building a working relationship with them). We saw people enjoying good rapport with the staff in their homes.

Staff received training to help them meet people’s needs. When staff began working for the service they completed an induction course. They then worked alongside experienced members of staff before they could work on their own with people. Staff received regular supervisions which included monitoring of their performance. Staff were supported to develop their skills by attending additional training events. People told us staff knew how to support them and they understood what needed to be done.

People told us they received enough staff support to do what they wanted to do. Within the supported living services staff were available at times when people wished to have support for activities and carrying out care when required. Staff rotas showed consistent staffing with people receiving care form a core group of carers who were familiar to them.

People told us staff responded to their needs and helped them to make changes to their care plans where required. They also told us they were able to change activities when they wished to. Staff confirmed they always asked people what they wanted to do when supporting them with activities. The provider responded to people’s changing needs when required.

The manager and provider carried out a number of audits and checks to monitor the quality of the service they delivered. This included a range of checks on people’s records, care plans and reviews of comments and complaints. People were encouraged to give feedback to the provider through questionnaires, comments and conversations. People told us they had been listened to and had noticed changes following them raising concerns.

A commissioner told us they had found staff to be consistently helpful, friendly and professional. They felt staff had the best interests at heart of people and made sure they were at the centre of the care they provided.