25 February 2020
During a routine inspection
Vitality care and support services is a domiciliary support service providing personal care to people in their own homes. They were providing personal care to 14 people at the time of the inspection. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Effective risk assessments were completed. People told us that they felt safe and were aware of how to raise concerns. Staff knew how to identify safeguarding concerns and how to report them. Staffing was sufficient to meet people’s needs. Recruitment processes were not always robust in checking employment histories. Medicines were managed safely .
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Staff had received suitable training and induction to offer effective care. People were supported to have choice and control with as little restriction as possible. If people needed help to eat and drink, care records detailed the support required. Staff and managers liaised with other health professionals to maximise the quality of care provided. Consent was sought before care was given.
Staff told us they were very happy to be part of the service. They were supported by a registered manager and reported a good morale and sense of team. People gave us positive comments about the care team. People were supported to express their views and make decisions about their care.
People’s wishes about end of life care had not always been sought. The accessible information standard (AIS) had not been used to facilitate people’s understanding of their own care files effectively. People received person centred care, and where encouraged to have as much independence as possible in day to day living.
The registered manager’s audits of daily logs did not always highlight errors in daily care records. Staff said the registered manager was supportive and felt concerns raised would be acted upon.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe responsive and well led sections of this full report.
Follow up
We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will request an action plan that details how the provider intends to improve the service. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.