Swan Care and Support South

Updated 26 March 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection:

This announced inspection took place on 26 February 2019. We gave 48 hours’ notice as we wanted to make sure the registered manager was in the office when we visited. The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience who carried out phone calls to people and their relatives to ask for their views about the service. An expert by experience is a person who has had personal experience of using or caring for someone.

Registered manager:

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. There was a new registered manager since our last inspection.

What we did:

As part of the inspection, we reviewed a range of information about the service. This included safeguarding alerts and statutory notifications, which related to the service. Statutory notifications include information about important events, which the provider is required to send us by law. Safeguarding alerts are information we received when there are concerns about a person’s safety.

The provider was not able to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR), due to a technical issue which was outside of their control. The PIR is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. Although there was no PIR, the provider sent us all the information we required after our visit. We took this into account when we made the judgements in this report.

We spoke with the Nominated Individual, the registered manager, service manager and assistant manager and the learning and recruitment coordinator. We had contact with two care staff. The expert by experience spoke with seven people who used the service and five relatives. We reviewed three care records. We also looked at a range of documents relating to the management of the service, including a range of quality audits.

Updated 26 March 2019

About the service:

Vivo Support Ltd is a domiciliary care agency, trading as Swan Care and Support – South. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the south of Essex. At the time of the inspection there were 25 people receiving personal care from the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People and families were very positive about the support they received. A family member told us, “This is an excellent service. My family member has an improved quality of life.”

The service benefitted from being part of a larger organisation, with access to a wide range of resources. Senior staff and care staff had a shared ethos and were focused on the needs of the people they supported. The service was outward looking and developed positive relationships with key organisations.

The service was well managed. The provider had invested in improvements, such as a new electronic monitoring system. This helped the registered manager check people received the support outlined in their care plans. There was a range of other checks on the quality of the service and measures to gather feedback from people, families and staff. The registered manager and provider used any information they gained to learn from mistakes and make the service better.

The provider had systems in place to keep people safe. Care plans gave staff detailed guidance on how to reduce risk and meet people’s needs safely, whilst upholding their human rights. There were enough safely recruited staff who were efficiently deployed. The provider had invested in changes to address staff morale. Staff told us they were well supported, and retention had improved. The provider was continually improving the administration of medicine.

Office and care staff communicated well to ensure support was consistent and effective. Staff were skilled at meeting people’s needs. They monitored people’s wellbeing and supported them to get in touch with professionals as required. Staff respectfully promoted people right to make decisions.

Staff provided compassionate care which was led by the people they supported. The registered manager promoted an understanding of inclusion and diverse needs.

The registered manager ensured support adapted flexibly to people’s needs. Changes in care planning and spot checks meant the service was becoming more person centred. Senior staff positively encouraged people to speak out about complaints and concerns as a way of improving the service. The service had invested in promoting dignified and skilled end of life care.

Rating at last inspection: Good (Last report published 22 June 2016)

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection to check that this service remained Good

Follow up: We will continue to monitor this service to ensure people receive care which meets their needs. We plan our inspections based on existing ratings and on any new information which we receive.

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