Care Plus Care Isles Ltd is a domiciliary care agency which is located in Althorpe on the Isle of Axholme. The service provides personal care and support to people living in their own home.
This was the first inspection of this service which was registered with the Care Quality Commission [CQC] in April 2014. Before this inspection, which took place on the first of December 2015 we contacted the registered manager to tell them we would be inspecting the service. This ensured that they were present for the inspection.
The service is required to have a 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.
Staff understood they had a duty to protect people from harm and abuse. They knew they must report concerns about abuse to the management team, local authority or to CQC. This helped to protect people.
Staff understood people’s preferences for their care. People were involved in developing their support plans which informed the staff about their individual care needs and risks to their health and wellbeing. Staff contacted relevant health professionals for help and advice to help maintain people’s wellbeing. Risks present within people’s home environment were assessed this helped to protect all parties.
People’s nutritional needs were assessed and monitoring occurred as necessary. Staff ensured people chose what they would like to eat to encourage their appetite.
Staff received training in medicine management and administration which followed the North Lincolnshire County Council guidance.
Staff understood that if people lacked capacity to make their own decisions then the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and codes of practice must be followed which helped to protect people’s rights.
Staffing levels provided were adequate to meet people’s needs. Staff had undertaken training in a variety of subjects to develop and maintain their skills. Training updates were provided and staff were supported by undertaking supervision and appraisals. This helped to identify any training needs staff may have and allowed all parties to discuss performance issues.
There was an on call system provided out of normal office hours. People using the service, their relatives or staff could gain help and advice from the management team at any time.
We visited a person who used the service. They told us the staff looked after them well and they said they had no complaints to raise.
There was a quality monitoring system in place. The management team undertook audits and checks were carried out to observe how the staff delivered care to people. People were asked for their views. Feedback was acted upon to maintain or improve the service provided.
There was a complaints policy in place so people could raise any issues at any time. Issues raised were dealt with appropriately.