Archived: Interserve Healthcare - Sheffield

Updated 18 November 2016

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 26 September 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included notifications regarding safeguarding, accidents and changes which the provider had informed us about. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We also looked at previous inspection reports. We reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR). The PIR 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.

During this inspection we visited the office and looked at records which related to people’s individual care. We looked at three people’s care planning documentation and other records associated with running a community care service. This included four recruitment records, complaints, notifications and records of meetings. We spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager, branch nurse, a senior carer and two care staff. After the inspection we spoke with four relatives, one person who used the service and nine care staff over the phone.

Prior to the inspection we contacted Healthwatch to ask if they had any relevant information for the inspection. We also sought the views of Commissioners who funded packages of care although we received no feedback.

Updated 18 November 2016

This inspection took place on 26 September 2016 and was announced. This was the first inspection for the provider at this location which was registered in December 2014.

Interserve Healthcare – Sheffield is operated by Interserve Healthcare Limited. They provide a domiciliary care service that supports people with personal care and day to day living in the Sheffield area. The service currently provides care to six people who have complex care needs and require large packages of support, some of which are 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The service is also registered to provide nursing care but does not currently carryout this activity.

There was 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.

Care staff were confident about how to protect people from harm and knew what to do if they had any safeguarding concerns. We found that some safeguarding concerns which had been reported to the local authority had not been reported to the CQC as required. We have dealt with this issue separately. Although there were quality monitoring processes in place, the issue regarding failure to report to CQC had not been identified. We have made a recommendation about this.

The registered manager had good oversight of the service and was experienced in their role. The provider had a clear set of visions and values which were promoted within the organisation. There were systems in place to seek the views of people who used the service and their relatives.

Risks to people had been assessed and plans put in place to keep risks to a minimum. An ‘out of hours’ service was in place so that people could contact a member of staff when the office was closed. Medicines were managed safely and people were supported to take medicines as prescribed.

The provider had robust recruitment procedures to make sure staff had the required skills and were of suitable character and background. There were enough staff available to make sure people’s needs were met. The provider was constantly recruiting new staff in order to make sure that there was a suitable match between care staff and the people they supported.

People were cared for by competent staff. Staff were supported through training, regular supervisions and team meetings to help them carry out their roles effectively. There was an open and accessible management team.

The manager and staff were aware of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS are put in place to protect people where their freedom of movement is restricted. People were supported to consent to the care provided.

Care staff were caring and treated people with respect. Care plans were person centred and showed that individual preferences were taken into account. Care plans gave clear directions to staff about the support people required to have their needs met. People were supported to maintain their health and had access health services if needed.

People received support which was regularly reviewed and met their current needs. People who used the service and their relatives had opportunities to make comments about the service and how it could be improved. Any complaints were investigated and complainants were provided with a written response.