Transitions Care Fylde

Updated 15 August 2018

We carried out this comprehensive inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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 comprehensive inspection visit took place on 11 July and was announced.

Transitions Care Fylde is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people who live in their own homes. The service covers a wide range of dependency needs including adults, children, people with a learning disability, people with mental health problems, people living with dementia and older people.

The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector.

Before our inspection on 11 July 2018 we reviewed the information we held on the service. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people the service supported. We also checked to see if any information concerning the care and welfare of people who used the service had been received.

We contacted the commissioning department at Blackpool council and Healthwatch Lancashire. Healthwatch Lancashire is an independent consumer champions for health and social care. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced accessing the service.

As part of the inspection we used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually 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 a range of people about the service. They included two people who were supported by Transitions Care Fylde and five relatives. We also spoke with the registered manager and three staff.

We looked at three people’s care records, risk assessments and medicines information, three staff recruitment and supervision records, staff training matrix and staff and service user rotas. We looked at records relating to the management of the service and quality assurance monitoring.

Updated 15 August 2018

This inspection visit took place 11 July 2018. This is the first inspections since the service registered with the Care Quality Commission on 24 July 2017.

At this inspection we found the service was rated Good.

Transitions Care Fylde is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people who live in their own homes. The service covers a wide range of dependency needs including adults, children, people with a learning disability, people with mental health problems, people living with dementia and older people.

At the time of our inspection Transitions Care Fylde was providing a service to 13 people.

There was a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with 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. Having a registered manager is a condition of registration with CQC.

We spoke with two people who received support and seven relatives. They told us staff cared for and supported them or their family member safely and they were polite and friendly. One person told us, “All the carers are lovely. They look after me so well.” A relative said, “I cannot praise highly enough the quality of care provided and how assured we feel that [family member’s] well-being is foremost.”

The service had procedures to protect people from abuse and unsafe care. Risk assessments were in place which provided guidance for staff. This minimised risks to people.

Most areas of recruitment and selection were carried out safely before new staff could start working for the service. However, the employment checks were not always fully completed before staff induction started. However, the registered manager made changes to this area promptly to increase safe recruitment.

People told us and relatives confirmed the same group of staff supported individuals so they knew their needs and preferences. They told us they had confidence in their staff team as they were skilled and aware of their likes and dislikes. A relative said, “They engage with [family member], get her to have a laugh and joke and often go beyond what you would expect.” Another relative commented, “The care team always have respect for the safety and personal dignity of [family member].”

Staff supported people with medicines safely and gave medicines as prescribed. A relative told us, “The carers’ attention to the medication [family member] is prescribed has been excellent.”

Staff had good infection control practice to reduce the risks of cross infection. There were processes for recording accidents and incidents.

People were assisted to enjoy a nutritious dietary and fluid intake and to prepare and eat food and drinks as they needed.

Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable in how to support and care for people. They had the skills, knowledge and experience to provide safe and effective support.

Staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and acted within the law. People who received support consented to care where they were able. Where people lacked capacity, best interests’ decisions were discussed and made by those involved in their care, taking into account the person’s views.

Care plans were in place describing how people wanted to be supported and people and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care.

People who used the service and their relatives knew how to raise a concern or to make a complaint. The complaints procedure was available and relatives said any concerns were listened to and acted upon.

The registered manager audited care to monitor the health, safety and welfare of people. They checked people were happy with their carers’, that staff arrived on time and supported people in the way the person wanted.

People and their relatives were encouraged to give their views about the care provided. They told us they were pleased with the support they received.