Dunston Community Centre

Dunston Community Centre (Homecare North East CIC) is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes and offers services to people in and around Gateshead. At the time of our inspection there were 23 people using the service.

Not everyone using Dunston Community Centre receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care’. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Systems were in place for monitoring the quality of the service, however due to recent staff vacancies these had not always been completed. This had not impacted the quality of care delivered and the management team were in the process of reviewing all other aspects of the operation of the service.

The management team were taking all steps to ensure vacancies were filled and staffing levels were reflective of the care hours needed. They only accepted new care packages when they were assured enough staff were in place. There were enough staff on duty to cover the care packages. Staff told us the rotas were very well organised and gave them enough time to get to people on time and properly support people.

An active recruitment programme was in place. We found recruitment practices were, in general, meeting requirements. We discussed enhancements that could be made, which the provider immediately started to implement. People and relatives reported they found staff were skilled, knowledgeable and competent.

People told us they were extremely satisfied with the service. People and relatives said staff always went above and beyond in delivering the care. They described how staff were attentive, diligent and they never felt rushed. The provider had developed a culture within the staff team, which people found was like receiving care akin to that delivered by very close and attentive family members. People found the service provided a high standard of care and told us staff working with them were fabulous.

Staff told us the provider clearly understood the difficulties life might present and how these could adversely affect work life so had introduced compassionate and innovative ways to support staff through challenges they might face. People, relatives and staff felt the management team were very responsive and approachable. People and relatives found the service communicated with them extremely effectively.

Medicine management was effective and closely monitored. Staff who administered medicines had the appropriate training. The provider ensured staff had access to ample supplies of PPE and they completed regular spot checks to make sure staff complied with the guidance and best practice.

Staff had received training around the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and associated code of practice and felt confident applying this in their practice. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People found the management team had made sure they enhanced people's lives. Staff took steps to safeguard people and promote their human rights. The management team had formed extremely effective working relationships with health and social care professionals, and this had led to many positive outcomes for people and their quality of life.

For more details, please see the full report which is on CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (report published 1 September 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. For those key question not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Dunston Community Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

Dunston Community Centre is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to adults living in their own houses and flats in the community.

This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

On the day of our inspection there were 23 people using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. Like 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.

We last inspected the service in January 2016 and rated the service as ‘Good’. At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’ and met all the fundamental standards we inspected against.

People told us they felt safe with the staff at Dunston Community Centre.

There was an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place and relevant vetting checks were carried out. Staff were suitably trained and received regular supervisions and appraisals.

There had not been any accidents or incidents reported at the service since the previous inspection however staff were aware of the procedure to follow.

There had not been any safeguarding related incidents at the service. The provider had a safeguarding of vulnerable adults policy that described what abuse is and the procedure to follow for reporting incidents or allegations of abuse.

Appropriate arrangements were in place for the safe administration and storage of medicines.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were protected from the risk of poor nutrition and care records contained evidence of people being supported during visits to and from external health care specialists.

People who used the service were complimentary about the standard of care at Dunston Community Centre.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people’s independence by encouraging them to care for themselves where possible.

Care records showed that people’s needs were assessed before they started using the service.

People were protected from social isolation.

There had not been any complaints recorded at the service since the last inspection but people who used the service were aware of how to make a complaint.

The provider had an effective quality assurance process in place. Staff said they felt supported by the management team. People who used the service and staff were regularly consulted about the quality of the service via meetings and surveys.

Dunston Community Centre is a small domiciliary care agency providing care and support to people in their own home.

A registered manager was in place. 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 were safe when receiving care. They told us that they trusted the care workers who supported them and looked forward to them visiting. Some peoples' comments included, "I trust the girls, they know what they're doing," and, "I feel staff with these staff." Staff had received training in relation to safeguarding adults and would report any concerns. Appropriate processes were in place to recruit staff and to carry out checks to ensure they were suitably experienced to support people with their personal care needs. Staff were reliable and attended home visits on time.

Staff were well supported by management and staff and people who used the service told us they were approachable. A staff member commented, “The managers’ values haven’t changed since they were carers, staff and people who use the service are all respected.” Staff members said they felt safe working alone and at night as systems were in place to protect them. The provider had plans in place to deal with emergency situations through the use of an 'on call' out of hours system, manned by senior staff.

Staff had the necessary skills to support people. They received training and there was a system in place to ensure this was updated on a regular basis. Staff received regular supervision and appraisals. A staff member commented, "There are always opportunities for training and we can also say what training courses may be useful." Staff had received training in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and could describe how it related to their work and they were able to talk about 'best interest' decisions and supporting people to make choices. Staff helped ensure people who used the service had food and drink to meet their needs. One person told us, "The girls bring me fish and chips." Some people were assisted to cook their own food and other people received meals that had been cooked by staff.

People told us staff were compassionate and kind and care was provided by the same staff to give consistent care. Their comments included, “My care is perfect,” and, “The carers are fantastic.” We were told by people staff came on an introductory visit to meet them before they started to support them. Communication was effective with people from the main office as people said they were kept informed if there were any changes to their care or staff were running late.

People were supported to maintain some control in their lives. Care plans were in place and most detailed how people wished to be supported and how people were involved in making decisions about their care. People had access to health care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment. Staff followed advice given by professionals to make sure people received the treatment they needed.

People were provided with opportunities to follow their interests and hobbies. Staff supported people to remain involved with the local community. Peoples' comments included, “I go out for a drink and meal with support staff each week,” and, “I meet people when I go to watch the films at the community centre.”

A complaints procedure was available and people we spoke with said they knew how to complain, people said they had not needed to.

The provider had in place system to effectively manage the service and monitor quality. Senior staff undertook regular spots checks on care workers to ensure they were providing appropriate levels of care. People told us they were contacted to ask their views on the service and discuss any concerns. Staff told us there were regular meetings and information was provided to ensure they were up to date about any changes in systems. Records were up to date and stored securely.