Archived: Shared Care Services Limited

Updated 12 June 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 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.

The inspection took place on 15 January and 22 January 2015 and was announced. We told the provider two days before our visit that we would be coming. We did this because the location provides a domiciliary care service and the manager is sometimes out of the office supporting staff or visiting people who use the service. We needed to be sure that they would be in. One inspector carried out this inspection.

Before the inspection visit we reviewed the information we held about the service, including the Provider Information Return (PIR) which the provider completed before the inspection. The PIR 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.

During our inspection we went to the provider’s head office and spoke to the manager, reviewed the care records of four people that used the service, reviewed the records for four staff and records relating to the management of the service. We also reviewed a contract monitoring report from the local authority. After the inspection visit we undertook phone calls to two care workers, two people that used the service and relatives of three people who used the service.

Updated 12 June 2015

The inspection took place on 15 January and 22 January 2015 and was announced. We gave the service short notice which meant the provider and staff did not know we were coming until shortly before we visited the service. At the last inspection, on 3 December 2013, we found the service met the regulations we inspected.

Shared Care Services Limited provides personal care services to people in their own homes. At the time of this inspection there were 36 people using the service, mainly children and young adults.

People who used the service were protected from the risk of harm or abuse because staff were knowledgeable about the process of safeguarding and whistleblowing. There were sufficient numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service. Risk assessments were done to identify and minimise the risks to people and to staff.

The service completed adequate recruitment checks before staff began working with people. Staff had the knowledge and skills required to support people with their care and support needs. They received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. Staff received regular supervisions and appraisals to ensure they continued to provide a good quality service and had the opportunity to develop their skills.

Staff knew the people they were supporting and provided a personalised service. People received consistency and continuity of care because staff worked with them for a long time. Care plans were in place detailing people’s needs and wishes. People consented to the care service provided and staff obtained consent before carrying out care tasks. People were supported to eat or drink or attend healthcare appointments if required.

The service had a system to deal with foreseeable emergencies. People told us the service responded in a timely manner to any queries, requests or concerns. People knew the process of making a complaint. Staff had received equality and diversity training and the service had a policy with guidelines.

At the time of our inspection the provider also acted in the role of 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.

The manager told us they had an “open door policy” and people, relatives and staff told us they could contact the manager at any time if they had concerns. The service had quality assurance systems to ensure they provided good quality care. There was a system to monitor and observe the quality of work the staff provided and the manager obtained verbal and written feedback from people and their families.