About the service:

The service is registered to and managed by Sandwell Council. People who used the service received their support and care in their own homes within the community. The service comprised of three different elements. Short Term Assessment and Reablement [STAR], Fast Response and Own Bed Instead. All three elements supported people when they were unwell, had suffered an injury, or required end of life care. This enabled a timely discharge from hospital or could prevent the need for a hospital admission. The service provided was time limited, in general six weeks, and for the majority of care and support packages there was no charge.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were supported by staff that were caring and compassionate and were treated with dignity and respect. Staff listened and responded to any concerns or worries people had and used these as opportunities to improve.

People received person centred care and support based on their individual needs and preferences. Staff were aware of people's life histories and individual preferences. They used this information to develop positive, meaningful relationships with people.

People told us they felt well cared for by staff who treated them with respect and dignity and encouraged them to maintain relationships and keep their independence for as long as possible.

The provider ensured people had consistency with staff members, as a result people and staff were able to build positive relationships. People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff understood and felt confident in their role.

Staff liaised with other health care professionals to ensure people's safety and meet their health needs.

Where people lacked capacity, staff worked with the local authority to make sure they minimised any restrictions on people's freedom for their safety and wellbeing.

Staff spoke positively about working for the provider. They felt well supported and that they could talk to management at any time, feeling confident any concerns would be acted on promptly. They felt valued and happy in their role.

Audits were completed by staff and the registered manager to check the quality and safety of the service.

The registered manager, operations manager and service manager worked well to lead the staff team in their roles and ensure people received a good service.

More information is in Detailed Findings below

Rating at last inspection:

Requires Improvement. (Report Published 03 December 2016)

Why we inspected:

This was a planned comprehensive inspection based on the rating of requires improvement at the last inspection. The service rating changed to an overall rating of good.

Enforcement:

No enforcement action was required.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

Our inspection was unannounced and took place on 17 October 2016.

The provider previous to June 2016 was operating under a different name. In June 2016 the provider had re-registered with a new service name at a different location. This was our first inspection of the service since it had been re-registered.

The provider is registered to provide support and personal care to adults. The service is registered to and managed by Sandwell Council. People who used the service received their support and care in their own homes within the community. The service comprised of three different elements. Short Term Assessment and Reablement [STAR], Fast Response and Own Bed Instead. All three elements supported people when they were unwell, had suffered an injury, or required end of life care. This enabled a timely discharge from hospital or could prevent the need for a hospital admission. The service provided was time limited, in general six weeks, and for the majority of care and support packages there was no charge.

We had been made aware by the local authority that there had been some concerns about the service but of late some improvements had been made. The provider had an improvement action plan in place to address issues and had started to work to this.

A number of missed calls had occurred that had the potential to place people at risk due to them not having the care and support that they had been assessed as requiring. People, relatives and staff had confidence in the management team. Medicine management recording systems were not always followed by staff to confirm that people had taken their medicines as they had been prescribed by their doctor. People we spoke with told us that the quality of service was good. However, we found that there was inadequate monitoring of some aspects of the service and insufficient corrective action taken to prevent some people experiencing missed calls.

A manager was registered with us as is required by law. 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 provider had processes in place that staff were aware of and knew that should follow to prevent people being placed at the risk of abuse. Risk assessments were undertaken and staff knew of the actions they needed to take to keep people safe and minimise any potential risk of accident and injury. Staffing levels ensured that people received a service from staff who they were familiar with, knew of their individual circumstances and could meet their needs.

Processes were available to ensure that any new staff would receive induction training and the support they needed when they started work. Training that was required to meet people’s needs and to keep them safe had been delivered to staff. People were enabled to make decisions about their care and they and their families were involved in how their care was planned and delivered. Staff understood that people have the right to refuse care and that care and support must be delivered with their best interests in mind. Staff supported people to prepare drinks and meals when this was required.

People were cared for and supported by staff who were kind and caring. Staff supported people to undertake daily tasks and regain their independence.

The service had responded to people’s needs. Complaints processes were in place for people and their relatives to access if they were dissatisfied with any aspect of the service provision.