Archived: Derbyshire Individual Support Service

Updated 15 December 2016

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.

This inspection was carried out by a single inspector who visited the provider’s office on 3 November 2016. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we wanted to make sure the manager was available.

Before this inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We spoke with local authority and health care commissioners and looked at all of the key information we held about the service. This included written notifications about changes, events or incidents that providers must tell us about.

During our inspection we spoke with three people who received personal care from the service and a relative. We spoke with the registered manager and five care staff, including a team leader and senior care staff member. We also looked at three people’s care records and other records relating to how the service was managed. For example, medicines, staff training and recruitment records, meeting minutes and the provider’s checks of quality and safety.

Updated 15 December 2016

This inspection was announced and took place on 3 November 2016. The registered provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we wanted to make sure they were available.

Derbyshire Individual Support Service provides personal care for people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, there were twelve people receiving personal care from the service, including seven older adults. People were living with a range of health conditions and disabilities, such as physical or learning disabilities. There is a named person for the registered provider who is also the manager for the service. This personal has a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At our last inspection in April 2014, the service was meeting the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and related care standards.

At this inspection people received care that was safely planned and delivered by staff who were safely recruited and deployed. People and staff were confident, knew how and supported to report any safety concerns they may relating to people’s care, if they needed to. This helped to protect people from the risk of harm or abuse.

Known risks to people’s safety associated with their health condition, medicines or environment were assessed before they received care. Care plans detailed actions that staff needed to follow to help mitigate risks from this, which staff understood and followed. The provider’s emergency planning, communication and reporting procedures helped to ensure people’s safety in care.

Staff understood and followed the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) to obtain people’s consent or appropriate authorisation for their care. People felt that staff supported them in a way that helped to inform, respect and follow their decisions about their care. This showed staff ensured and protected people’s rights and best interests.

People received care from staff who were trained and supported to perform their roles and responsibilities for people’s care. Staff liaised with external health professionals and followed their instructions for people’s care when required. Staff understood and followed people’s personal care plans relating to their health conditions, to help people maintain and improve their health.

People were happy with their care and appropriately informed and involved in agreeing this. Staff were kind, caring and knew what was important to people for their care. Staff understood and followed the provider's stated principles of care, which helped to ensure people’s rights, choices, independence and social inclusion.

People’s care was individualised, timely and responsive to their assessed care needs, daily living choices and lifestyle preferences. Staff knew how communicate and engage with people in a way that was meaningful to them.

People and relatives were informed and supported to make a complaint about care provided. The provider regularly sought people’s views about their care and staff’s views in relation to working for the service. Findings from this were checked to inform any care or service improvements that may be needed. People and relatives were overall satisfied with their care and staff were happy working at the service. All confirmed they would recommend the service to family and friends.

People, relatives and staff were confident about the management of the service. There were clear and suitable arrangements for the management, day to day running of the service and for related record keeping. The provider had met their legal obligations to tell us about important events when they occurred at the service Staff were appropriately informed and supported to carry out their role and responsibilities for people’s care, which they understood and followed.

The provider carried out regular checks of the quality and safety of people’s care. This was done in a way that demonstrated they continuously sought to improve the service and people’s related care experience.