Archived: Nightingales Community Care

Updated 11 September 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 checked 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.

This inspection visit took place on 25 and 26 August 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service to people living in the community. We needed to be sure that someone would be in.

The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector.

Before our inspection on 25 and 26 August 2015 we reviewed the information we held on the service. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people the service supported. We also checked to see if any information concerning the care and welfare of people being supported had been received.

During our inspection we went to the Nightingales Community Care office and spoke with a range of people about the service. They included the registered provider, business director, and four staff members. We also spoke eight people who used the service.

We looked at the care records of four people, training and recruitment records of four staff members and records relating to the management of the service. We also spoke with the commissioning department at the local authority. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced accessing the service.

Updated 11 September 2015

This inspection visit took place on 25 and 26 August 2015 and was announced.

This is the services first inspection since it registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in August 2014.

Nightingales Community Care is managed from a domestic residence located in a residential area of Thornton-Clevelys. Services are provided to support people to live independently in the community. The range of support provided includes assistance with personal care, domestic duties, laundry tasks, shopping, and meal preparation.  At the time of our inspection visit Nightingales Community Care provided services to 52 people.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

We spoke with eight people who were supported by the service. They told us they were receiving a reliable and consistent service and they liked the staff who supported them. They said staff were caring and conscientious and they felt safe when receiving their support. One person we spoke with said, “The staff who visit me wear identification badges. I have no concerns about my safety when they visit me.”

People told us they were usually supported by the same group staff. This ensured people were visited by staff who understood their support needs and how they wanted this to be delivered. One person we spoke with said, “It is so important to me that I know the staff who are visiting me. I cannot think of anything worse than strangers arriving at my door not knowing what they have to do. I know all the girls who visit me and they are wonderful.”

We found recruitment procedures were safe with appropriate checks undertaken before new staff members commenced their employment. Staff spoken with and records seen confirmed a structured induction training and development programme was in place.

Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and social needs.

The registered manager had systems in place to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and take necessary action as required. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report any unsafe care or abusive practices. People we spoke with told us they felt safe and their rights and dignity were respected.

Staff knew the people they were supporting and provided a personalised service. Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their care.

Staff responsible for assisting people with their medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required. People told us they received their medicines at the times they needed them.

The registered manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included annual satisfaction surveys, spot check and care reviews. We found people were satisfied with the service they were receiving. The registered manager and staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and were committed to providing a good standard of care and support to people in their care.