Archived: SENSE - Community Services (East)

Updated 4 June 2016

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 12 May 2016 and was announced. This was because the registered manager and staff could be out. We wanted to make sure they were in. The inspection was completed by one inspector.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). 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. We looked at this and information we hold about the service. This included the number and type of notifications we had received. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

During the inspection we spoke with three relatives by telephone this was because not everyone who used the service was able to speak with us. We also spoke with the registered manager and three care staff.

We looked at four people’s care records, managers’ and staff meeting minutes. We looked at medicine administration training records and records in relation to the management of the service such as checks regarding people’s home’s environmental safety. We also looked at staff recruitment, supervision and appraisal process records, training records, complaint procedures, quality assurance and audit records.

Updated 4 June 2016

This inspection took place on 12 May 2016 and was announced.

SENSE Community services (EAST) is a domiciliary care service that is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. Their office is based on the outskirts of Peterborough city. The service provided included that for people with acquired deafblind sensory impairments and people with a physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were eight people using the service.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (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. The provider had appointed a new manager but they had not yet taken up their position.

The provider's human resources department and the registered manager ensured that the staff who were appropriately qualified were recruited in a safe way. Checks were in place to confirm this.

People’s assessed care needs were met at the times they had wanted by suitably trained and competent staff.

Staff had been trained and were skilled in imparting their knowledge about keeping people safe. Staff were aware of those organisations and managers that they could report any concerns to if this was ever required.

Medicines management and administration was undertaken in a safe way. This was by staff whose competency to do this safely was regularly assessed.

The registered manager was aware of the process to be followed should any person have a need to be lawfully deprived of their liberty. They and staff were knowledgeable about the situations where an assessment of people’s mental capacity was required. The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards codes of practice. Lawful powers of Attorney were in place where people's representatives' made decisions for them.

Staff knew people as well as the person's family member. People were supported by staff to build their independence. People received care that was respectful, dignified and compassionate based upon the finer points of those items and events that were important to the person.

Appropriate risk management strategies and records were in place for emergency events such as subjects including falls and medicines administered in the event of an emergency.

People were provided with a wide range of opportunities and occasions to be involved in their care needs assessment. People maintained close links with those people and communities that were important to them.

People’s nutritional care needs were identified and met in a safe way to maintain people's health and wellbeing. People were supported by, and access to, a range of health care professionals including a speech and language therapist, GP and community nurses.

People were supported with their independence to live in their own home as long as they wanted to.

Staff maintained a high standard of care though a robust and regular training and supervision programme.

People were provided with information in an appropriate format according to their needs as to how to make and raise suggestion and improvements to their care.

A range of effective audit and quality assurance procedures were in place. The provider had processes in place, which had been used, to ensure that the CQC was notified about events that they are required, by law, to do so.