04 & 05 January 2016
During a routine inspection
This inspection was announced and took place on the 04 January 2016. A second day of the inspection took place on 05 January 2016 in order to gather additional information.
The agency was previously inspected in July 2013 when it was found to be meeting all the regulatory requirements which were inspected at that time.
Warrington Borough Council Intermediate Care at Home is a domiciliary care service provided by the local authority. The service is coordinated from premises in Vulcan Close, Warrington and encompasses all of the Warrington area. The service was providing the regulated activity ‘personal care’ to 78 people when we inspected.
The main function of the service is to provide rehabilitative home care to new service users over a six week assessment period. When the care package is established and stable, provision is transferred to an outside agency. The service is integrated with Bridgewater Community Healthcare Trust and works closely with other community services.
At the time of the inspection there was a registered manager at Warrington Borough Council Intermediate Care At Home service. 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 registered manager was present during the two days of our inspection and engaged positively in the inspection process, together with other members of the office management team and staff.
Feedback received from people using the service or their representatives was generally complimentary of the service and confirmed people had received care and support which was personalised and focussed on promoting their independence and wellbeing.
The needs of people using the service had been assessed prior to receiving support from the Intermediate Care At Home service. Care plans and risk assessments had also been completed to ensure staff understood how to meet individual needs and keep people safe.
Staff had been recruited correctly to safeguard the welfare of people using the service and had access to induction, training and qualifications that were relevant to their roles and responsibilities. Staff spoken with also confirmed that they had received formal supervision and attended team meetings at regular intervals.
Systems had been established to monitor key aspects of the service and obtain feedback from people using the service via monitoring visits and surveys upon completion of the service. Likewise policies and procedures had been developed to ensure an appropriate response to suspicion or evidence of abuse and complaints.