Background to this inspection
Updated
23 August 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 the 13, 18 and 22 July 2016 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection to ensure the manager was available to assist us with the inspection. The inspection was completed by one inspector.
Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service including statutory notifications we had received about the service. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the provider is legally obliged to send us. We also reviewed a Provider Information Return (PIR). A 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 our inspection we spoke with three people who used the service, nine members of staff, the manager and the regional director. We also spoke with other health and social care professionals and agencies who worked with the service to gather feedback about the service. We looked at a range of records including five people’s care plans and records, three staff files, staff training records, staff rotas, arrangements for the management of medicines, a sample of policies and procedures and quality assurance information.
Updated
23 August 2016
The inspection took place on the 13, 18 and 22 July 2016 and was announced.
Affinity Trust – Domiciliary Care Agency – Southend and Essex is registered to provide personal care for adults with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum conditions who live in shared or self-contained accommodation. At the time of our inspection care was being provided to 37 people.
A manager had been appointed on 4 April 2016 and was in the process of becoming registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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 manager was supported by a team of support managers to ensure the daily management of the service.
The registered provider’s quality assurance systems and processes were not always robust and had not identified the issues we had acknowledged during our inspection. The arrangements for the administration and management of medicines had not been appropriately managed to ensure people’s safety and well-being. The manager provided an action plan as part of our inspection which they confirmed had been implemented immediately to improve practice in this area.
Although staff had received training on a range of subjects they had not received sufficient specialised training to effectively meet the individual needs of people using the service.
People told us they felt safe. The registered provider had effective recruitment procedures in place to protect people from the risk of avoidable harm. Staff understood the risks and signs of potential abuse and the relevant safeguarding processes to follow. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were appropriately assessed, managed and reviewed.
Staff understood their roles and responsibilities to seek people’s consent prior to care being provided. The manager and staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
Care plans were person centred and included people’s preferences and individual needs. Care plans were regularly reviewed. People told us they were happy with the care and support they received; they were treated with dignity and respect and care was provided in a kind and caring way. People’s nutritional needs were met and people were supported to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Where required people were supported to access health and social care professionals and services.
The registered provider had a formal process for handling complaints and concerns. They sought feedback from people who used the service and staff and analysed this information to help improve the quality of the service.