Background to this inspection
Updated
14 April 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 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 inspection took place on 29 and 30 of January 2018 and was announced . We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.
One inspector carried out the inspection .
Before our inspection we reviewed previous inspection reports and notifications we had received. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.
During our visit we spoke with the registered manager, two senior members of staff, visited one person, reviewed feedback from 20 people using the service and obtained feedback from eight members of staff. We also obtained feedback from three relatives and five people who had previously used the service.
We pathway tracked four people using the service. This is when we follow a person’s experience through the service and get their views on the care they received. This allows us to capture information about a sample of people receiving care or treatment.
We looked at staff duty rosters, four staff recruitment files, feedback questionnaires from relatives, policies and procedures, checked the provider’s quality assurance systems and reviewed the provider’s complaints and compliments. We also looked at staff supervision, appraisal and training records.
We last inspected the home on the 28 June 2016 and found the provider had not always submitted the relevant notifications to us.
Updated
14 April 2018
Community Response Team (CRT) South East is a free service provided by Hampshire County Council which provides short term, up to six weeks, support for adults. The service supports people who have been discharged from hospital and/or require a period of enablement to help them to become as independent as they can whilst living in their own homes. Where people require additional support following CRT intervention, they are supported to move onto another care agency that provides long term support to them in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 48 people using the service. The amount of people using the service could change on a weekly basis dependent upon the needs of the people.
There was a registered manager in post who was responsible for the day to day running of the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.
At our previous inspection we found a breach of Regulation 16 (Registration) Regulations 2009. Notification of death of a person who uses services. The registered person failed to notify the Commission without delay of a death of a service user whilst the services were being provided in the carrying on of a regulated activity. We also found a breach of Regulation 18 (Registration) Regulations 2009 Notifications of other incidents. This regulation was not being met because the registered person did not notify the Care Quality Commission without delay of any abuse or allegation of abuse in relation to a service user. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider had met the requirements of both Regulations.
The management provided good leadership and were actively working to drive improvement. Feedback from people, staff and relatives confirmed the management were respected and led by example.
Staff told us that they felt their achievements were recognised and that they felt valued. Staff had a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. We observed staff were confident in performing their jobs and when speaking with people, other staff and the registered manager.
People, their families and professionals told us they felt the service was safe. Staff had received safeguarding training and had their competency in this subject checked. They were aware of the types of abuse that could happen to people, what signs to look out for and their responsibilities for reporting any concerns.
The registered manager had a good understanding of their responsibilities to notify the CQC of important events that happened within the service. People and their families had been given information so that they knew what to expect from the service.
People who required assistance with their medicines were supported by appropriately skilled and qualified staff. They had received training and competency checks and had a good understanding of the risks associated with the medicine people were taking.
New care staff completed the Care Certificate. The Care Certificate is a national induction for people working in health and social care who do not already have relevant training. Staff consistently told us the training they received supported them to meet the needs of people safely.
Staff said they felt supported in their role. They told us they received regular supervision and had a yearly appraisal.
Staffing levels met the needs of the people using the service. Staff had been recruited safely.
Staff acted in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005.
People had good access to healthcare. This included GPs, district nurses, occupational therapists opticians and chiropodists.
People, their families and other professionals had been involved in an assessment before the service provided any support. The assessment had been used to create care and support plans that addressed people’s individual identified needs. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the actions they needed to take to support people.
A complaints procedure was in place and people told us they were confident and concerns would be dealt with appropriately by management.
Staff were supported and encouraged to share ideas about how the service could be improved and had been pro-active in supporting changes. They spoke enthusiastically about the positive teamwork and support they received.
The provider had good systems in place to support staff to learn lessons and implement change.