Archived: Scope Community Services Hertfordshire

Updated 4 August 2017

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.

The inspection took place on the 25 July 2017. This visit was announced, which meant that the registered manager and staff knew that we were coming. We did this, as the service is a domiciliary care agency and we wanted to ensure that appropriate staff were available to talk with us. The inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

Before our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service including statutory notifications that had been submitted. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us. We also reviewed the provider information return (PIR) submitted to us on 07 July 2017. This is information that the provider is required to send to us, which gives us some key information about the service and tells us what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make.

As part of the inspection we spoke with two staff members and the registered manager. People who used the service were not able to share their views with us. Subsequent to the inspection site visit we obtained feedback via telephone calls and emails from relatives of people who used the service about how people were supported to live their lives.

We received feedback from representatives of the local authority health and community services and two external healthcare professionals.

We reviewed care records relating to two people who used the service and other documents central to people's health and well-being. These included staff training records, recruitment records, medication records and quality audits.

Updated 4 August 2017

The inspection took place on 25 July 2017 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our inspection to make sure that the appropriate people were present.

Scope Community Services Hertfordshire is registered to provide personal care and support for people living in their own homes and supported living environments. At the time of this inspection six people received support with their personal care needs.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

This was the first inspection of this service since initial registration with CQC on 19 August 2016.

People’s relatives told us they were confident that the service was safe. Staff understood how to keep people safe and risks to people's safety and well-being were identified and managed. People’s needs were met by sufficient numbers of skilled and experienced staff. The provider operated robust recruitment processes which helped to ensure that staff employed to provide care and support for people were fit to do so. People's medicines were managed safely.

Staff received regular one to one supervision from a member of the management team which made them feel supported and valued. People received support they needed to eat and drink sufficient quantities and their health needs were well catered for with appropriate referrals made to external health professionals when needed.

People and their relatives complimented the staff team for being kind and caring. Staff were knowledgeable about individuals' care and support needs and preferences and people had been involved in the planning of their care where they were able.

The provider had arrangements to receive feedback from people who used the service, their relatives, external stakeholders and staff members about the services provided. People were confident to raise anything that concerned them with staff or management and were satisfied that they would be listened to.

There was an open and respectful culture and relatives and staff were comfortable to speak with the registered manager if they had a concern. The provider had arrangements to regularly monitor health and safety and the quality of the care and support provided for people who used the service.