Archived: Creative Support - Gateshead Service

Updated 21 October 2015

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 was 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 was announced and took place on 23 and 27 July 2015. We gave 48 hours’ notice that we would be coming as we needed to be sure that someone would be in at the office. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included the notifications we had received from the provider. Notifications are changes, events or incidents the provider is legally obliged to send us within required timescales.

During the inspection we talked with the manager, a project manager and two support staff and visited the three people who used the service at their home. We looked at each person’s care and medicines records, staff records and reviewed other records related to the management of the service.

Updated 21 October 2015

The inspection took place on 23 and 27 July 2015 and was announced. We last inspected Creative Support – Gateshead Service in July 2013. At that inspection we found the service was meeting legal requirements.

Creative Support – Gateshead Service provides personal care and support to people with learning and physical disabilities, mental health needs and sensory impairments. Services were provided to three people who lived in a shared house with support.

At the time of our inspection a manager was in post who had applied to become the registered manager. 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.

We found that the manager and staff understood their responsibilities in protecting people using the service from avoidable harm and abuse.

Risks to personal safety were assessed and managed and people were supported to maintain a safe home environment.

A thorough recruitment process was followed to employ suitable staff and there were enough staff to safely meet people’s needs.

The service’s medicines arrangements were not fully robust. Directions for some medicines were not clear and records did not always show that medicines had been appropriately administered.

Staff were given relevant training and support to help them care for people effectively. Staff supported people in staying healthy and, where needed, in meeting their dietary needs.

People were encouraged to make decisions and be involved in planning their own care. Individualised support plans were in place that addressed how people’s needs and preferences would be met.

People had good relationships with their workers. They felt they were kind and caring and treated them with dignity and respect.

People took part in a range of meaningful activities which helped them develop skills and meet their social needs.

A complaints procedure was in place that people understood how to use if they were unhappy about their support. People’s views were sought and there were systems to regularly check if they were satisfied with their care and support.

Audits were carried out to monitor and improve the standards of the service. The manager promoted a positive and inclusive culture and was keen to develop the quality of the service.

We found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 relating to medicines arrangements. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.