This announced inspection was undertaken on Tuesday 22 November 2016. The inspection was announced to ensure it could be facilitated on that day by the registered manager. We last inspected Portsmouth Sitting Service and Community Care Service in January 2014 where the service was judged to be meeting the standards assessed at that time.The Portsmouth Sitting Service and Community Care Service is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care, a sitting service and also emotional support to people in their homes. The service is located in Southsea, Hampshire and at the time of the inspection, there were approximately 73 people using the service.
There was a registered manager in post. 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 people we spoke with told us they felt safe. The staff we spoke with had a good understanding about safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures and told us they wouldn’t hesitate to report concerns.
We looked at how medication was handled at one of the houses we visited. We found gaps in signatures on the MAR (Medication Administration Record), although we were able to establish the medicines had been given, which was also confirmed by the person themselves. We were told action to be taken would include additional job chats, training and supervision in response to these discrepancies. The medicines policy and procedure also required updating to ensure it referenced the safe disposal of medication.
We found there were sufficient staff to care for people safely, although several people reported that when staff turned up late and weren’t always contacted by the office in advance. We raised this with the coordinator who said this should be done and would re-iterate this in team meetings. Staff spoken with didn’t raise any concerns about staffing numbers within the service.
We saw staff were recruited safely, with appropriate checks undertaken before they began working with vulnerable adults. This included ensuring DBS/CRB (Disclosure Barring Service/Criminal Records Bureau) checks were undertaken and references from previous employers sought.
The staff we spoke with told us they had access to sufficient training and received supervision as part of their ongoing development. Staff were also able to have ‘job chats’ in between supervision sessions if there was anything they needed to discuss.
The people we spoke with told us staff often helped them prepare lunch or an evening meal, although this was usually by putting a meal into the oven or microwave during the care call. The people we spoke with said staff did not need to help them eat or drink.
The people we spoke and their relatives with told us they were happy with the care provided by the service. People told us staff treated them with dignity and respect and promoted their independence as much as possible.
Each person who used the service had a care plan in place and we saw a copy was kept in the person’s home and at the office. The care plans provided an overview of each person’s care needs and were updated when things changed. The people we spoke with also said an initial assessment was undertaken, when they first started using the service.
The service sent satisfaction questionnaires to people, asking for their comments about the service. This enabled the service to continually improve based on feedback from people and anything that could be changed.
There was a complaint procedure in place, enabling people to state if they were unhappy with the service. The people we spoke with were aware of how to make a complaint where necessary. The service also collated positive compliments made about the service.
People who used the service and staff told us they felt the service was well managed. Staff told us they felt well supported and would feel comfortable raising and discussing concerns.
We saw there were systems in place to monitor the quality of service provided. This was done in the form of audits, spot checks and observations of staff undertaking their work. Staff also had access to policies and procedures if they needed to seek guidance in a particular area.