During our inspection we spoke with the care coordinator, two people who used the service and a relative of a person who used the service. We also spoke with the registered manager over the phone after our inspection. We reviewed two people's care plans.
We found that the provider had made improvements in the way they monitor the quality of the service and how they manage complaints.
We saw evidence of the provider working in a coordinated way with other providers. One member of staff said in relation to obtaining professional support, 'You get to know the people you are supporting really well. We let the office know and they contact the professionals involved.'
We spoke with one member of staff who was very competent at explaining the support plan in relation to the person's individual needs regarding medication.
Staff had completed induction training. One member of staff said, 'I have not received much support due to the lack of management.' Another said, 'I have done a medication course, it was updated recently. Anytime I need advice, the staff member in the office is able to help.' Supervision sessions and spot checks had been undertaken, although some were completed by a colleague, not a line manager.
Effective systems were not in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. We spoke with one member of staff who said, 'Incidents are not followed through.' One person said, "The carers are lovely but the management is unorganised.'
The provider was not able to give us a summary of complaints people had made and the provider's response. In relation to one complaint, the provider said, 'How we dealt with this complaint has been muddled."
Care records were up-to-date and comprehensive, detailing the preferences of the person using the service. The records were reviewed regularly with the person receiving the service and changed if needed. One person told us, 'If we need to change the day, the office always sorts it out.'
Staff were trained to a common skill level, with some staff receiving extra training if a person's needs were more specialised.
The provider had a system for auditing the quality of the service, and for ensuring improvements were made where necessary.