Background to this inspection
Updated
14 May 2019
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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
The inspection was undertaken by one inspector.
Service and service type:
East Kent Mencap Domiciliary Service provides care to people living in their own homes.
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 24 hours’ notice of the inspection site visit because the service is a domiciliary service we wanted to make sure we were able to speak with people and the staff who supported them.
Inspection site visit activity started on 16 April 2019 and ended on 18 April 2019. We visited the office location on both days to see the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. On 16 April we visited people in their homes and spoke with staff providing their support.
What we did:
¿ Before the inspection we reviewed the information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse. We assessed the information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give key information about what the service does well and the improvements they plan to make. We used this information to plan our inspection.
¿ During the inspection we reviewed a range of records which included three people’s care and support plans, recruitment, training and supervision records and records relating to the quality monitoring and management of the service.
¿ We met and spoke with five people, six staff and one of the registered managers.
¿ We observed staff spending time and engaging with people.
¿ We received feedback from a local authority learning disability team.
Updated
14 May 2019
About the service: East Kent Mencap Domiciliary Service is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. Each person had a tenancy agreement and rented their accommodation. The service supports people who live with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health needs throughout East Kent. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with personal care, where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection 21 people were receiving a personal care service.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support in the following ways [promotion of choice and control, independence, inclusion] e.g. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
People’s experience of using this service: The service met the characteristics of Good in all areas.
People, staff and health care professionals told us or indicated that the quality of care and support was good and that the service was well managed. People said, “I like all the staff and they help me when I need it” and “The staff are good”. A health professional told us that people’s goals, aspirations and choices were discussed and agreed with people at their reviews.
• People told us they felt safe with staff from East Kent Mencap supporting them in their homes.
• People were kept safe from abuse, harm and discrimination and were supported by a regular staff team who knew them well.
• Risks to people were assessed, monitored and reviewed and staff followed the guidance provided to help people stay safe.
• People’s physical, mental, emotional and social needs were assessed and monitored to help promote a good quality of life.
• People were encouraged and empowered to remain as independent as possible and to make day to day decisions about their care and support.
• People told us they liked the staff and that they were kind and caring.
• People had built strong, trusting relationships with the staff and said they would talk to them if they were worried about anything.
• People’s care and support was tailored to their individual needs and preferences. When people’s needs changed the care records were updated to reflect this.
• Information was provided in different formats to make sure it was accessible to everyone.
• People told us they didn’t have any complaints but that they would speak to the staff or management if they did.
• The management of the service was consistent and regular checks continued to be completed to make sure the quality of service was good.
• The management team and staff continued to explore different ways of improving the service and regularly asked people for their feedback and ideas. They worked collaboratively.
Rating at last inspection: Good when we inspected on 18 October 2016 (Published 15 November 2016)
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service maintained Good in all areas and Good overall.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.