Archived: Solo Support Services

Updated 7 April 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 10 March 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice because the location was a domiciliary care agency and we wanted to ensure there was someone free to assist us with the inspection. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Prior to our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service. This included previous inspection reports, information received and statutory notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We contacted other professionals who have contact with the service and asked them for their views.

During the inspection we spoke with six people who used the service and had an email exchange with another. We spoke with two relatives who were involved in managing their relations’ care packages. We also spoke with four personal assistants, three client relations managers (CRMs) and the registered manager.

We considered information contained in some of the records held at the service. This included the care records for four people, staff training records, two staff recruitment files and other records kept by the registered manager as part of their management and auditing of the service.

Updated 7 April 2016

This announced inspection was carried out on 10 March 2016. Solo Support Services Ltd (Nottingham) is a domiciliary care agency providing third party support services to people in receipt of a who have been allocated a personal budget to manage their own heath support needs. The agency work in a person-centred way to empower people in meeting their individualised health or social care outcomes. On the day of the inspection there were 39 people using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our 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 supported by personal assistants who understood the risks people could face and knew how to make them feel safe. People were given the support they needed to be as independent as they could be safely.

People recruited the number of personal assistants they wanted to support them. People designed a flexible service that suited their individual circumstances. People were given the support they required to take any medicines they needed.

People were supported by personal assistants who were trained and given guidance on how to meet their needs. People’s human right to make decisions for themselves was respected and encouraged.

People who required support with their nutrition and hydration were provided with this. People received support from personal assistants who understood their healthcare needs.

People maintained control of their care package and had chosen personal assistants who displayed the caring values they required. Personal assistants were informed of how the person they supported wished them to conduct themselves in their home.

People decided what care and support they wanted and how this would be provided. People were encouraged to express any issues of concerns they had so these could be looked into.

People chose the service they received and could make any changes they wished to. Each person had a care resource manager assigned to support them how they wished. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and make client focused improvements when needed.