29 April 2015
During a routine inspection
This inspection took place on 29 April 2015 and was announced.
Skipton and Halifax Care at Home Service provides personal care and support to older people who live in their own apartments. The aim of the service is to support people to live independently. There are two sites, one in Skipton and the other in Halifax. Apartments are situated on each site around an office and communal areas. The service provides personal care to about 20 people. At the time of our inspection there was no registered manager in post, but there was a site manager at both Skipton and Halifax.
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.
People told us that they were happy with the service provided; telling us it was “Excellent” and “First class”. There was a caring culture at the service and staff were committed to providing support in the way people wanted. The atmosphere in communal areas was relaxed and light hearted. People said that they were well cared for and that staff were kind and attentive, always treating them with respect and dignity.
People told us they felt safe. Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and how to protect people from harm. Any risks to people had been identified and there were plans in place to make sure these were minimised without intruding on people’s privacy and independence. Medicines were managed safely and people were supported to receive and store medicines in the way they preferred. There was a sufficient number of staff to support people at the times they requested, as well as to deal with any emergencies which arose.
Staff were supported through training, regular supervisions and team meetings. They told us that they enjoyed working at the service and that there was good communication and team work.
The manager and staff were aware of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS are safeguards put in place to protect people where their freedom of movement is restricted. There were no restrictions at the time of our inspection and we saw that appropriate action was taken if any concerns about this were identified.
People were supported to maintain good health and had access to services such as a GP, dentist or optician. A district nurse would visit the service if more specialist support was needed. Care and support plans held detailed information about how people’s health needs were to be met.
People were encouraged to be involved in planning their care and to give their views about the service. There were opportunities for people to socialise and meet with managers to discuss any concerns they had. Care plans showed that the support people were received took account of their views and was, where possible, given at the times they preferred. Care plans gave clear directions for staff about the support people needed to have their needs met.
There was effective management in place which made sure the service provided a good quality of care. Staff told us that any issues or identified improvements were acted on quickly. Managers were respected by the staff who told us that they felt able to discuss any concerns.