About the service:

Glossop DCC Homecare Services is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to people in their own homes. The office is based in the centre of Glossop. The service was providing personal care to 104 people at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

Quality assurance processes were in place but needed further development to ensure they were always effective in identifying areas for improvement promptly, as well as identifying trends. Errors in the recording of medication administration were not consistently identified by audit systems. These systems needed to improve to ensure safety and quality for people.

We identified two breaches of the Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 related to the management of medicines and good governance. Details of action we have asked the provider to take can be found at the end of this report.

People were supported by skilled and competent staff but recent organisational changes meant that they were not always supported by staff that knew them well. People told us this had impacted negatively on the consistency of care.

Motivation for continuous improvement was demonstrated by the staff team within the service. People's dignity and privacy were respected and their independence was promoted.

Since our last inspection a new service manager had been employed by the service.

The service manager was open, committed to making improvements and was in the process of applying to become formally registered with the CQC (Care Quality Commission.) The manager currently registered with us had moved to work in another area of the organisation and was in the process of cancelling their registration.

The service met the characteristics of Requires Improvement overall. More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published September 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up:

As the service is rated as Requires Improvement, we will request an action plan from the registered provider about how they plan to improve the rating to Good. In addition, we will monitor all information received about the service to understand any risks that may arise and to ensure the next planned inspection is scheduled accordingly.

Glossop (Derbyshire County Council Home Care) provides personal care for adults in their own homes. This includes people living with dementia and people requiring short term support on discharge from hospital. There were 127 people using the service for personal care at the time of our inspection.

This inspection took place on 21 and 22 July 2016. The service is run from an office in Glossop and provides care to people in North Derbyshire. The provider was given 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we wanted to make sure the registered manager was available. In addition we also carried out telephone calls to people using the service on 27 and 28 July 2016.

There was a registered manager at the 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 service was following the guidance in people’s risk assessments and care plans and the risk of unsafe care was reduced. People’s records were up to date and indicated that care was being provided as detailed in people’s assessments. The records had been updated to reflect changes in people’s care needs. Medicines were managed safely.

People were safeguarded from abuse because the provider had relevant guidance in place and staff were knowledgeable about the reporting procedure. The provider's arrangements for staff recruitment and deployment helped to make sure there were sufficient staff who were fit to work at the service to provide peoples' care.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities for people's care and safety needs and for reporting any related concerns. The provider's arrangements for staff training and their operational procedures supported this.

The principles and requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) were being met. When required, best interest decisions and capacity assessments had been completed. People were supported by staff who knew them well. Staff were aware of promoting people’s safety, whilst providing information to support people to make day-to-day decisions.

People received appropriate support to manage their meals and nutrition when required. This was done in a way that met with their needs and choices. People’s health needs were met. Referrals to external health professionals were made in a timely manner.

People and their relatives told us the care staff were caring and kind and that their privacy and dignity was maintained when personal care was provided. People and their relatives were involved in the planning of their care and support.

Complaints were well managed. The leadership of the service was praised by external professionals and relatives and communication systems were effective. Systems to monitor the quality of the service Identified issues for improvement. These were resolved in a timely manner and the provider had obtained feedback about the quality of the service from people, their relatives and staff.