19 October 2016
During a routine inspection
We inspected this service on 19 and 20 October 2016. This was an announced inspection and we telephoned 48 hours’ prior to our inspection in order to arrange home visits with people who use the service. This was the first inspection of the service.
Advance Support Staffordshire provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes in Burntwood and the surrounding areas. At the time of our visit, approximately 16 people were receiving a regulated service. There was no registered manager in post. The previous registered manager had retired and a new manager had been appointed. 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 new manager was applying to register with us and was supported by a service manager, who managed the staff on a day to day basis.
People we spoke with told us they felt safe and looked forward to the staff visiting. Staff recognised their responsibilities to protect people from abuse and were confident the provider would take action if they raised any concerns. Safeguarding incidents were reported to the local authority to ensure these could be investigated. Risks to people were assessed and managed to keep people safe whilst promoting their independence. People received their medicine as prescribed and were supported to apply any creams they needed.
People agreed their support needs and preferences prior to receiving a service and reviews were carried out to ensure their care remained relevant. Staff gained people’s consent before providing care and understood their responsibilities to support people to make their own decisions. People’s needs and preferences were met when they were supported with meals and the provider ensured people accessed the support of other health professionals when their needs changed.
There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and checks were made to confirm staff were suitable to work with people in their own homes. The support was flexible and responsive to changes in people’s needs. People received care and support from staff who were well trained and knew how people liked things done. Staff received supervision and had opportunities to develop their skills to meet people’s changing needs.
People were treated with care and kindness by staff who enjoyed their work and were motivated to ensure people had a good quality of life. People valued their relationships with the staff team and told us the staff ‘go the extra mile for them’ when providing care and support. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity, promoted their independence and supported them to maintain social links with family and the local community.
People felt comfortable raising any concerns and were confident they would be responded to. People told us the service was well managed and they were encouraged to give their opinions on how things could be improved. Staff felt supported and valued by the provider’s management team and felt able to give their opinions on how the service could be improved for people. The provider had systems in place to continuously monitor the safety and quality of the service.