Archived: Reablement SkILs

Updated 17 August 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 announced inspection took place on the 15th, 28th, 30th June 2017 and on 6th July 2017; when we completed phone calls to people We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available to support the inspection. The inspection team consisted of one adult care inspector.

Before our inspection visit we asked the registered provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed information we held about the service and checked if we had received any concerns or compliments. We contacted representatives from the local authority for their views about the service.

During the inspection we made a visit to the registered provider’s office and spoke with a disability service manager, the registered manager and the registered business manager for the service, together with staff who were based there. We also spoke with seven members of reablement staff, a senior support worker, two case workers and a team manager. We visited the home of one of people who used the service to ask them about the quality of provision they received. We subsequently contacted 15 other people who used the service or their relatives by phone in order to obtain their views.

We looked at the care files belonging to five people who used the service, four staffing records and recruitment documents together with information relating to the management and running of the service, such as quality audits, minutes of meetings and performance reports.

Updated 17 August 2017

Community Support SkILs – Central is a Domiciliary Care Agency that is registered to provide personal care and support to people who live in their own homes. The aim of the service is to provide a short period of time limited rehabilitation and reablement (usually for a period of six weeks), to help people remain living in the community and be as independent as possible.

This was the first time the service had been inspected at this location. At the last inspection the service was compliant with regulations, when it was based at various other locations across the city of Leeds. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care and support to 177 people who used the service.

There were two registered managers for the service. 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.

Recruitment procedures had been followed to ensure reablement staff were safe to work and did not pose a potential risk to people who used the service. A range of assessments were completed to enable reablement staff to safely support people and encourage them to be as independent as possible. Reablement staff had received training about how to recognise and report potential abuse and ensure people who used the service were protected from harm. People who used the service were encouraged to take responsibility for managing their own medicines and training on medicines support had been provided to ensure reablement staff knew how to safely carry out this aspect of their role. People were provided with a range of equipment to help keep them safe and were provided with information about how to contact the service out of normal office hours and in emergency situations.

People who used the service were supported by reablement staff who were reliable, friendly and provided support in a consistent way. A range of training was provided to ensure reablement staff were able to effectively carry out their roles. Reablement staff received regular supervision and appraisal of their skills to enable their performance to be monitored and help them develop their careers. People told us reablement staff communicated with them in a considerate and courteous way and ensured their consent was obtained before personal care and support was delivered. Reablement staff involved health and social care professionals in the community when this was required, to ensure people’s medical needs and wellbeing was promoted.

People were supported to be as independent as possible by reablement staff who respected their confidentiality and maintained their personal dignity. People were treated with kindness and sensitivity by reablement staff who involved them in making decisions about their support to enable their wishes and feelings to be promoted.

People were assessed to ensure the service was able to meet their needs in a way they understood and had agreed. Reablement staff demonstrated a positive understanding of working with people’s individual strengths and preferences to enable them to achieve their personal goals. People who used the service were able to raise concerns and were confident the registered provider would investigate and resolve these, wherever possible.

Governance systems were in place to enable the quality of the service to be monitored. Regular meetings took place to ensure reablement staff were aware of their professional roles and responsibilities. Management support and feedback to reablement staff was provided in a way that was constructive and enabled them to positively question their practice. People who used the service were consulted and encouraged to share their views to enable the service to develop and continually improve.