This announced inspection took place on 25 & 26 November 2015.
Curzon Care is a small domiciliary care service providing support to people with learning disabilities in the Morecambe and Heysham district. 24 people were being supported by the organisation on the date of inspection.
The service was last inspected on 11 November 2013 and was found to be meeting all the assessed standards.
There was 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 who used the service and their relatives spoke highly about the way in which the organisation was organised and managed. People described their staff team as reliable and voiced no concerns in the way in which staffing was deployed.
Staff were aware of types of abuse and how to report any concerns. The registered provider had appropriate systems in place to support staff that had any safeguarding concerns. Staff were confident any concerns relayed to management would be dealt with effectively.
When people required support with their medicines, the registered provider had suitable arrangements in place. Medicines were safely stored and appropriate arrangements for administering them were in place. People who had capacity and could manage their own medicines were encouraged to do so.
Appropriate systems were in place to address and manage the risks associated with the carrying out of the regulated activity. Staff told us they were fully briefed about how to manage risks prior to working with a person.
The registered provider understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) This meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions.
Health care needs were met in a timely manner. People were encouraged to participate in health promotion initiatives as a means to maintain and promote health.
Staff told us they were fully supported within their role. The registered manager had systems in place to ensure all staff were fully supported within their induction and did not work alone until they felt comfortable and confident to do so. The registered provider also provided some training to staff following their induction to ensure they were equipped with the necessary skills to carry out their role.
Relatives and people who used the service told us the registered provider met people’s dietary needs. Staff supported people to cook nutritious meals. Where people were required to lose weight staff supported them with healthy cooking and also supported people to undertake exercise and attend weight loss groups.
Support was organised to meet people’s needs. Rotas were developed in conjunction with the people being supported to ensure their support time was appropriate to them. When staff were working in people’s own homes they were mindful of respecting privacy.
People who used the service told us they were encouraged to live active lives and participate as valued members of their community. People were supported to attend various community groups according to their preferred wishes and hobbies. There was an emphasis placed upon improving people’s quality of life and increasing social networks.
Care was provided in a person centred way. People were involved in their own care planning and the development of their service. People were confident they could discuss their care with the registered manager and if they were unhappy with care provided they could change their service.
Concerns were dealt with in a timely manner and this prevented any concern from escalating into a complaint. People who used the service were aware of their rights to complain and who to complain to. People who had complained previously praised the ways in which the manager addressed the complaint and their commitment to making improvements.