Community Crisis Support Service

Updated 31 January 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency, which provided personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. However, the service had been specifically commissioned to respond quickly to urgent requests from statutory agencies; and provided personal care support for people on a short-term basis until longer term support arrangements could be commissioned by the relevant authorities. Additionally, the service also provided palliative personal care support for people who were in the final stages of their lives.

The service had two managers registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure the provider, or one of the registered managers, would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started with the inspector visiting the provider’s office on 19 December 2019. The inspector then made phone calls, to a sample of people who used the service, on 20 December 2019.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service, and one live-in carer, about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including a registered manager, service co-ordinator and two health care assistants.

We observed a staff handover session, at the start of a care shift, and reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service. We reviewed four people’s care records and looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff training.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and reviewed relevant samples of the provider’s policies and procedures.

Updated 31 January 2020

Community Crisis Support Service is a domiciliary service providing personal care to vulnerable older people and younger adults in their own homes. The service is run from an office located in the outskirts of Nottingham. At the time of our inspection 12 people were receiving personal care support. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were protected from the risk of abuse by trained staff who had been appropriately recruited. Prescribed medicines were safely managed and administered to those people who required them. Care staff understood how to reduce the potential spread of infections by using appropriate techniques and protective equipment. Incidents were reviewed to identify any themes from which lessons could be learned.

People’s care needs were assessed, and support provided to meet those needs effectively. Staff received training, so they understood how people’s varied needs should be met. Information, about other agencies, was also given to people so they could access other support if needed. People’s ability to consent to receive support was assessed, and information could be provided to people in a range of different formats to meet their individual communication needs.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were supported by staff who were kind, well organised, and friendly. The service was flexible and could be varied according to people’s changing needs or preferences. Care was provided in ways which protected people’s privacy and dignity. Care staff encouraged people to take part in care tasks so that they could retain as much independence as possible.

People received a service that was responsive to their needs and which could commence at short notice. The provider sought feedback from the people who used the service and the service received many compliments. The care staff often provided support to people who were at the final stages of their life. The support was provided with compassion and kindness. The provider also provided support to the care staff, as they recognised that end of life care can be difficult for some staff.

People received support from a service that was well managed. Care staff were supported by their managers and by each other. When incidents happened, the manager understood their responsibility to make the necessary notifications to the relevant authorities. The service worked in close partnership with other agencies to enable people to obtain the support needed to meet their care and individual needs. The provider had the necessary monitoring processes in place to ensure the service continued to provide good quality support for people.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 23 March 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.