Archived: Keelby Community Cares

Updated 11 July 2017

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 registered provider was 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 comprehensive inspection took place on 6 June 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection, we reviewed all the information we held about the service which included notifications submitted to the Care Quality Commission by the registered provider. The registered provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We contacted the local authority commissioning and safeguarding teams to gain their views of the service.

During the inspection, we spoke with four people who used the service and three people’s relatives. We also visited two people in their own homes. We spoke with the registered manager, the business development manager, the assistant manager and three members of care staff.

We looked at four people’s care plans and their Medication Administration Records (MARs). We looked at how the service used the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) to ensure that when people were deprived of their liberty or assessed as lacking capacity to make informed decisions, actions were taken in line with the legislation.

We reviewed a selection of documentation relating to the management and running of the service. These included quality assurance information, minutes of meetings, staff training records, supervision and recruitment information, questionnaires and complaints information.

Updated 11 July 2017

Keelby Community Cares is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. The service is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support services to people living in Lincolnshire. The service supports adults with a range of conditions including older people, physical disabilities and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection, 11 people were using the service.

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.

People who used the service were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Staff had been trained to recognise the signs that could indicate abuse had occurred and knew what actions to take to ensure people were safe. Actions had been taken to mitigate known risks and specific plans had been developed for the management of emergency situations. Before staff supported people, appropriate checks had been completed to ensure they were suitable to work with adults at risk. People’s medicines were administered safely and as prescribed.

People were supported by staff who had completed a range of training and nationally recognised qualifications in health and social care. Staff told us they were supported in their roles and received effective levels of supervision and appraisal. Records showed consent was gained before care and support was delivered to people and the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were followed when they lacked capacity to make informed decisions themselves. People were supported to eat a varied and balanced diet of their choosing. When concerns were identified, relevant professionals were contacted for their advice and guidance which was implemented into people’s care plans.

People told us they were supported by caring and attentive staff who knew their needs and understood their preferences. People received care from small teams of staff to ensure there was consistency and continuity in their care. People told us they were treated with dignity and respect by staff. Private and sensitive information was treated confidentially by staff and the registered provider ensured information was stored appropriately.

People or their appointed representatives were involved in the initial planning and on-going delivery of their care. Care plans and risk assessments were reviewed regularly and updated as people’s needs changed or developed. People who used the service told us they knew how to raise concerns and make complaints. We saw that when complaints were received, they were responded to appropriately and used to develop the service when possible.

Quality assurance systems had been developed to identify shortfalls in people’s care and ensured improvements were made in a timely way. People who used the service, their relatives and staff were asked to provide feedback on the service and their opinions were used to improve the service when possible. Staff told us the registered manager promoted an open culture and listened to their views. The registered manager understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to report accidents and incidents, as well as other notifiable events, to the Care Quality Commission as required.