Archived: Spectrum Domiciliary Care Service

Updated 5 June 2015

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.

The inspection took place on 12 February 2015 and was announced. The provider was given two days’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed any information we held about the service including past inspection reports. During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager and divisional manager. We looked at two care plans, two staff files, staff training records and records relating to the running of the service.

We visited one person’s home where we spoke with one person and met their relative. Following the inspection visit we spoke with another relative on the telephone. We also contacted two external health care professionals to gather their views on the service.

The registered manager told us that they provided personal care to four people in their own homes. They also provided outreach support to 10 people. Outreach support provides an opportunity for the person to go out during the day and for their carer to have some respite. Spectrum Domiciliary Service provided personal care and support to children and adults.

Updated 5 June 2015

We carried out this inspection on 12 February 2015. The inspection was announced. We last inspected Spectrum Domiciliary Care Service (Spectrum DCS) in June 2014. At that time we identified a breach in regulation in the management of medicines. The registered manager had forward us an action plan and updated their medicines guidance. At this inspection we found improvements had been made in relation to medicines and the provider had met the relevant legal requirements.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Spectrum DCS is a domiciliary care service that provides care and support to people and children in their own home who have a diagnosis of learning disability. The care ranges from a few hours of support a week up to 24 hour care for people in supported living. A supported living service is one where people live in their own home and receive care and support in order to promote their independence. People have tenancy agreements with a landlord and receive their care and

support from the domiciliary care agency. As the housing and care arrangements are separate, people can choose to change their care provider without losing their home.

We visited by agreement, a person living in their own home where supported living support was being provided by this service. Staff supported them throughout the 24 hour period.

We saw that people had developed positive relationships with staff who supported them .We saw staff encouraged people to engage in meaningful activity and spoke with them in a friendly and respectful manner.

The registered manager was confident about the action to take if they had any safeguarding concerns and had liaised with the safeguarding teams as appropriate. Risk assessments clearly identified any risk and gave staff guidance on how to minimise the risk. They were designed to keep people and staff safe while allowing people to develop and maintain their independence.

People were supported by stable and consistent staff teams who knew people well and had received training specific to their needs. People and their relatives were involved in recruiting and choosing the staff who supported them. Efforts were made to match staff with people by identifying any shared interests and hobbies.

Staff were well supported through a system of induction and training. The registered manager spoke highly of the staff team describing them as committed and enthusiastic in their approach to their work. An external health care professional told us staff were motivated, committed and dedicated to supporting people in the community.

Staff had high expectations for people and were positive in their attitude to support. They helped people set goals and found innovative ways to work towards achieving them. Staff were respectful of the fact they were working in people’s homes. The service offered flexible support to people and were able to adapt in order to meet people’s needs and support them as they wanted.

Care records were detailed and contained specific information to guide staff who were supporting people.

People and relatives told us they felt involved in the development of the service and that management listened to any ideas and suggestions they had and took them on board.

The Health and Social Care Act 2008 requires providers to notify the Care Quality Commission of events and incidents which may have an effect on services. Whilst we had received notifications as required by Spectrum DCS staff, Spectrum senior management team had failed to notify us of incidents and events which might have impacted on the running of their services including Spectrum DCS.