Archived: Thamesfield at Home

Updated 23 February 2018

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 18 December 2017. It was carried out by two inspectors and was announced. We gave the provider prior notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to make sure someone would be in the office. On the day of inspection we visited the office to speak to the manager and to review the records. We also visited two people with their agreement in their own homes.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service which included notifications they had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law. We contacted community professionals for feedback. We received feedback from one professional.

We did not review the Provider Information Return (PIR) as the provider did not receive a request to submit one due to recent registration changes. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with two people who use the service. We spoke with the manager, the regional manager and the director. We asked for feedback from six staff. We looked at records relating to the management of the service including three people's care plans and associated records. We reviewed recruitment records, staff training records, quality assurance records, the compliments/complaints log and accident/incident records.

Updated 23 February 2018

This was a first comprehensive inspection which took place on 18 December 2017 and was announced. We gave the manager 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to make sure someone would be in the office to assist us.

Thamesfield at Home is a domiciliary care agency (DCA) based within an apartment complex, in Henley on Thames. The DCA provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. It provides a service to older people, people physical disability, sensory impairments, dementia and younger adults. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with the regulated activity ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Not everyone using the service receives the regulated activity. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care to five people.

The service did not have a registered manager as required. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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. While the recruitment was ongoing, the interim management team supported us during the inspection. It consisted of two registered managers from two other locations by the same provider, the regional manager, and the director.

People felt safe while supported by the staff. Staff had a good understanding of how to keep people safe and their responsibilities for reporting accidents, incidents or concerns. Staff had the knowledge and confidence to identify safeguarding concerns and acted on these to keep people safe.

Staff training records indicated which training was considered mandatory by the provider. Most of the staff were up to date with their mandatory training. The manager had planned and booked training when necessary to ensure all staff had the appropriate knowledge to support people. Staff had not always received ongoing support via regular supervision and appraisals. However, they felt supported and maintained great team work. The manager had started improving this by carrying out supervisions with staff according to a new schedule.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff to meet their individual needs. People were informed about the changes to and timings of their visits. The provider had an appropriate recruitment procedure to follow before new staff were employed to work with people. They checked to ensure staff were of good character and suitable for their role.

People were treated with respect and their privacy, and dignity were promoted. People said their support workers were good and supported them in the way they wanted. Staff were responsive to the needs of the people and enabled them to improve and/or maintain their independence with personal care. People's health and wellbeing were monitored and appropriate action was taken when required to address concerns. Risks to people's personal safety were assessed and plans were in place to minimise those risks. There were safe medicines administration systems in place and people received their medicines when required.

People received support that was individualised to their specific needs. Their needs and support plans were kept under review and amended as changes occurred. People's rights to make their own decisions, where possible, were protected and staff were aware of their responsibilities to ensure people's rights were promoted.

Staff felt they worked well together and supported each other, which benefitted people. Staff felt management worked with them as a team and they had good communication. The service had quality assurance systems put in place to monitor the running of the service and the quality of the service being delivered. The management team was aware of the challenges and improvements to make and action was being taken to address these. They continuously looked at ways to improve the service. They praised the staff team for their dedication and hard work and appreciated their contribution to ensure people received the best care and support.

We have made a recommendation about the Accessible Information Standard and for the provider to ensure their records were in line with the guidance.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.