Archived: Momentum Care Services North East England

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to people over the age of 18 who may have sensory needs, be living with dementia, a learning disability or autism or who may have an acquired or traumatic brain injury. At the time of the inspection they were not supporting anyone with a learning disability.

Not everyone using Momentum Care Services receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection 16 people were receiving a regulated activity.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained good.

Why the service is rated good.

A registered manager was in post at the time of the inspection. 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.

People’s physical health, mental health and social needs were assessed and care plans developed. People said they were able to express their views and had been involved in making decisions about their care and support.

The delivery of care was personalised and some care plans were detailed however others lacked some information. We have made a recommendation about care planning.

Risks were assessed and monitored and staff were trained in safeguarding procedures and knew how to report any concerns. People told us they felt safe with staff and were confident anything they raised would be appropriately and immediately addressed.

Safe recruitment practices were followed and staff completed a detailed induction which included meeting people and shadowing experienced staff before they directly supported people.

Staffing levels were appropriate to meet people’s needs. People said they were supported by the same staff who were kind, caring, respectful and had the skills and knowledge to support them safely. Training was provided in a variety of ways including some training that one person had devised themselves for their staff.

People described staff as being, ‘like friends’ and ‘family members.’ They said they were always professional but could have a laugh and a joke. People enjoyed ‘banter’ with their support staff but said staff knew what the boundaries were.

The providers policy was that they only provided prompts for people to take their medicines. Staff were appropriately trained and records were kept of the prompts made.

Healthcare services were involved as needed and there was regular liaison in relation to ensuring people received appropriate healthcare.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People said they had no current complaints but knew who to contact if they did. We were told any previous concerns had been addressed immediately and people were happy with the outcome and the action taken.

Governance structures were in place and feedback was sought from people about the service they received.

People said the service was well led and they would recommend Momentum Care Services to anyone in need of support at home.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Momentum Care Services is a domiciliary care agency providing care and support to people in their own home. At the time of inspection 23 people were using the service and 17 staff were employed.

A registered manager was 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.

People were safe when receiving care. They told us that they felt safe with the staff who supported them and looked forward to them visiting. Staff had received training in relation to safeguarding adults and would report any concerns. Appropriate processes were in place to recruit staff and to carry out checks to ensure they were suitably experienced to support people with their personal care needs.

People told us staff were compassionate and kind and care was provided by the same staff to give consistent care. Their comments included, “My care is fine, it suits me,” and, “The carers are all kind, they’re very friendly.” We were told by people staff came on an introductory visit to meet them before they started to support them. Communication was effective with people from the main office as they said they were kept informed if there were any changes to their care or staff were running late. Staff were reliable and attended home visits on time. Staff were well supported by management and staff and people who used the service told us they felt management were approachable. The provider had plans in place to deal with emergency situations through the use of an 'on call' out of hours system, manned by senior staff.

Staff had the necessary skills to support people. They received training and there was a system in place to ensure this was updated on a regular basis. Staff received supervision and appraisals. A staff member commented, "There’s plenty of training.” Staff had received training in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and could describe how it related to their work and they were able to talk about 'best interest' decisions and supporting people to make choices. Staff helped ensure people who used the service had food and drink to meet their needs. Some people were assisted to cook their own food and other people received meals that had been cooked by staff.

People were supported to maintain some control in their lives. Care plans were in place and provided guidance for staff about peoples' care and support requirements but some lacked detail of how people wished to be supported. People had access to health care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment. Staff followed advice given by professionals to make sure people received the treatment they needed.

A complaints procedure was available and people we spoke with said they knew how to complain, although they said they had not needed to.

The provider had a system in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. Senior staff undertook regular spots checks on support workers to ensure they were providing appropriate levels of care. People told us they were contacted to ask their views on the service and discuss any concerns. Staff told us there were regular meetings and information was provided to ensure they were up to date about any changes in systems. Records were up to date and stored securely.