Archived: Excel Support Services Limited - South East

At this inspection we found the provider had taken appropriate action to ensure people were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. Staff had received appropriate training and professional development. A new system was implemented by the provider for identifying and monitoring staff mandatory training. This system identified, for each staff member what training had been completed, training due and dates of training booked. This meant staff were enabled to deliver care and treatment to people who use the service safely and to an appropriate standard.

At our inspection on 26 and 28 November 2013 we found people were not protected from the risk of inappropriate or unsafe care because the provider did not have an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people who use the service and others in relation to incidents.

At this inspection we found the provider had taken appropriate action to ensure they had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive, and to assess and manage risk. They demonstrated learning from

incidents had taken place to improve the service.

Care was planned with the involvement of the people who use the service and their relatives. Support plans reflected their individual needs. We found people were provided with appropriate care to meet their needs.

A system of staff supervision and appraisal was in place to support workers. However, staff did not always receive appropriate training and professional development to enable them to deliver care and treatment to people safely and to an appropriate standard.

There were systems for monitoring the quality and safety of services provided to people. These included collecting feedback from people using the service, their relatives and staff. Spot checks by management were in place to monitor the quality and safety of services provided to people in their own homes. The provider had acted on feedback received to improve the service. There was no system for monitoring and learning from incidents relating to the welfare and safety of people who use the service

There were processes in place for recording, investigating and resolving complaints from people who use the service and their relatives. The provider had written information on their complaints procedure, including a version in a format appropriate for people’s needs. These had been made available to people who use the service and their relatives. People we spoke with were aware of who they would speak to if they had any complaints or concerns.

People’s records and other records relevant to the management of the service were accurate and fit for purpose. People's care documentation was stored securely in the office and accessible only by care workers and management.

We spoke with staff and looked at people's support plans and found their needs were assessed, and care and support was planned and delivered in line with their individual needs.

People who use the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening. People told us they trusted the staff and felt safe in their care.

The provider did not have a robust recruitment process in place to ensure that people who use the service were not placed at risk of being cared for by inappropriate staff.

The provider had a system for monitoring the quality of service provided. Documentation we looked at showed feedback from quality monitoring visits and people using the service was acted upon to improve the service. There were processes in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people using the service and others.