Archived: Mencap - Trowbridge

Updated 20 January 2017

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 inspection took place on 20 and 21 December 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience (ExE). An ExE is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Prior to the inspection we looked at information we held about the service which included notifications. Notifications are specific events providers are required to notify us about by law.

During the inspection we visited some people using the service in their own homes. We spoke with four people. We carried out some observation of care practice as not everyone one we visited was able to speak with us. We spoke with 6 relatives. We spoke with the registered manager, two area managers, the quality coordinator and five care staff. We looked at five people's care records, three staff files and other records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 20 January 2017

This inspection took place on 20 and 21 December 2016 and was announced.

The service supported people who required personal care living in their own homes. This included people with learning disabilities and on the autistic spectrum. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 21 people with personal care.

There was a manager in post who had applied to CQC to become the registered manager for this location. 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 manager and provider promoted an open culture based on values that put people at the centre of all they did. Staff were well supported by the management team and felt valued and listened to.

People received personalised care and support that enabled them to develop skills and improve their quality of life. People were supported to develop and maintain meaningful relationships. Staff knew people well and supported them in a kind and compassionate way. People's homes and belongings were respected and people were able to choose how they wanted their homes decorated.

Staff understood how to support people in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and ensured that people's decisions and choices were respected.

There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs and staff received training to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to support people in a way that met their needs. Staff understood their responsibilities to identify and report safeguarding concerns.

Risks to people were identified and assessed. Where risks were identified there were plans in place to manage the risks. This included risks associated with medical conditions and the management of medicines. Staff competency was assessed before they administered medicines to people. Medicines were managed safely.

There were effective quality assurance systems to monitor and improve the service. This included analysing patterns and trends in relation to accidents and incidents. Regular auditing systems were in place and where audits identified issues action plans were developed to improve the quality of care.