Archived: Penrose Community Care & Support

Updated 25 September 2018

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 provider was given short notice of this inspection because the location provided a domiciliary care service. We carried out a visit to the service on 21 June 2018. This inspection was carried out by one inspector and an expert by experience made telephone calls to people using the service. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses care services.

We looked at any notifications and other communication that we had received and during our inspection we spoke with two of the four people using the service. We also contacted seven support workers, including bank and agency staff, to request feedback but did not receive any responses on this occasion. We did, however, speak with the registered manager of the service. .

We gathered evidence of people’s experiences of the service by conversations we had with people and reviewing other communication that the service had with these people.

As part of this inspection we reviewed four people’s care plans and care records. We looked at the recruitment training and supervision records for four of the permanent staff team. We reviewed other records such as complaints information, quality monitoring and audit information.

Updated 25 September 2018

Penrose Community Links is a local charity based in Islington for adults with predominantly mental health needs and some people also living with a learning disability. The provider operates community based outreach, advice and support service as well as the domiciliary care agency. The domiciliary care service currently provides support to four people who receive support with their personal care and is aiming to expand this service. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

This was the first inspection of the service since initial registration in June 2017.

Medicines were managed safely. However, staff were not initialling medicines records but using a tick and not their initials when confirming they had prompted a person to take their medicines. Guidance is available about how to record on medicines administration records and CQC refers to the guidance issued by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society about how medicines assistance should be recorded by staff. The registered manager informed us that this would change and we have confidence that this change will take place.

Support workers were well trained although support through supervision was not taking place as frequently as outlined with the providers own stated policy.

There was a registered manager in place at the time of the inspection. 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 kept safe from harm and staff were provided with training and guidance to maintain people’s safety. Risks to people were assessed and action was taken to minimise potential risks.

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

People’s dignity and privacy was respected. People’s independence was promoted and people were supported to do as much for themselves as possible. People were given information on how to make a complaint and staff supported people to use advocacy services if they wanted to.

People who used the service had support needs around their activities of daily life and engaging in the community. The service provided varying amounts of support to people with personal physical care and helped one person to take their medicines. Information contained within the four care plans we looked showed that people’s support needs were made clear and were acted upon.

The registered manager, carried out regular audits of the service including care plans and risk assessments and used these as a means of maintaining high quality care. Any action that was required was taken. The provider was open and transparent in the way that they communicated with people.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.