Delava Care

Updated 14 August 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.

The inspection took place on 06 August 2018 and was announced. We gave the service notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be available to support us with this inspection process.

The inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

Before our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service including statutory notifications that had been submitted. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us. We had not requested a provider information return (PIR) prior to this inspection. This is information that the provider is required to send to us, which gives us some key information about the service and tells us what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make.

Inspection activity started on 06 August 2018 and ended on 09 August 2018. We visited the office location on 06 August 2018 to meet the registered manager and to review care records and documents central to people's health and well-being. These included care records relating to two people, recruitment records for two staff members, staff training records and quality audits.

Subsequent to the visit to the office location we spoke with relatives of two people who used the service by telephone to obtain their feedback on how people were supported to live their lives. We also spoke with a staff member to confirm the training and support they received and requested feedback from social care professionals.

Updated 14 August 2018

This inspection took place on 06 August 2018 and was announced. This was the first inspection of this service since registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in June 2015.

Delava Care provides care and support to people living in a supported living setting, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

The service had 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. Delava Care is a small service and the registered provider and registered manager are the same person.

Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures. The provider had safe recruitment processes in place. There were enough staff available to meet people's needs. Risk assessments were carried out to mitigate the risks of harm people may face at home and in the community. There were systems in place to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection. The registered manager analysed accidents and incidents and used this information as a learning tool to improve the service.

People had a comprehensive assessment to ensure the service could meet their needs. New staff received an induction and were offered on-going training during their employment. Staff were supported with regular supervisions and annual appraisals to help ensure they could deliver care effectively. People were supported to eat a nutritionally balanced diet and to maintain their health. The management and staff understood their responsibility to obtain consent from people before delivering care.

Staff knew about people's care needs and described how they developed caring relationships. The provider included people and their relatives where appropriate in decision making and in their care planning. Staff were knowledgeable about equality and diversity. People were supported to maintain their independence and their privacy and dignity was promoted.

Care records were personalised, contained people's preferences and the goals they wanted to achieve. The registered manager reviewed people's care plans regularly to help ensure care was delivered appropriately. Staff understood how to deliver a personalised care service. The service had a complaints procedure and people knew how to make a complaint.

People’s relatives and staff spoke positively about the registered manager. Feedback was obtained from people about the quality of the service provided in order to make improvements where needed. Staff had regular meetings to keep them updated on training and good care practice. The registered manager carried out regular observations of staff working to monitor the quality of the service being delivered.