Archived: Crisis Response Team

Updated 9 November 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.

This was a comprehensive inspection which took place on 11, 12 September and 4 October 2018 was unannounced. We visited the office and made visits to people in their homes on 11 September. We spoke with people on the telephone on 12 September and returned to the office on 4 October to meet with the registered manager.

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and an expert-by experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert-by experience for this inspection had experience of social care community support services.

We reviewed the information we held about the service, including statutory notifications that the provider had sent us. A statutory notification provides information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also contacted health and social care commissioners who place and monitor the care of people living in the home, and other healthcare agencies that work in close liaison with this service to identify if they had any information which may support our inspection.

Before the inspection we did not request a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During our inspection, we spoke with six people who received support with their personal care and two relatives. We also spoke with two members of care staff, one member of the scheduling team, the providers training lead, the deputy manager, the providers representative and the registered manager.

We reviewed three staff files and the care plan documentation for three people. We also looked at other information related to the running of and the quality of the service. This included quality assurance audits, training information, staffing rotas, and arrangements for managing complaints.

Updated 9 November 2018

CRT is a short term domiciliary care agency, used by people in their own homes in crisis situations. For example, when released from hospital, CRT can support people in the first few weeks of their return home to re-enable them to carry out their own personal care needs independently. Or, if people have longer term care needs, CRT can support people on a short-term basis whilst they find a longer-term care provider.

This inspection took place on 11, 12 September and 4 October 2018 and was unannounced. The provider of this service had recently changed and therefore this was the first comprehensive inspection for this service under the new ownership. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 42 people with their personal care needs.

This service had a registered manager in place. 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 received safe care and staffing arrangements were flexible to meet the demands of the service. People received support with their medicines if they wished and systems were in place to record and report safeguarding concerns.

People’s needs were fully considered before they began to use the service to make sure their needs could be met. People's consent was gained before their care was provided. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were treated with dignity and respect and staff were commended for their cheery approach. People were encouraged to be independent and to make their own choices.

People had care plans in place which reflected their needs and these were updated when people’s needs changed. Complaint procedures were in place for people to make a complaint, and the registered manager had a good understanding of the requirements of end of life care.

The provider had quality assurance systems in place to review the quality of the service and took action to make improvements where required. People and staff had opportunities to provide their feedback and this was fully considered and acted on.