Archived: Reablement Service - Bullenshaw Hub

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.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. We contacted relevant agencies such as the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

We sometimes ask the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR), which 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. On this occasion we did not request one and took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

The inspection took place on 10 July 2018 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice because we needed to make sure a member of the management team was available so we could access relevant information. An adult social care inspector carried out the inspection.

During the inspection visit we spoke with six members of staff, which included an assistant manager who we have referred to as reablement co-ordinator throughout the report. The day after the site visit we spoke with, on the telephone, four people who used the service. At the time of the inspection the registered manager was on leave. We spent time looking at documents and records that related to people’s care and the management of the service. We reviewed three people’s care plans.

Updated 14 August 2018

This inspection took place between 10 July 2018 and was announced. This was the first inspection of the service since they registered with the Care Quality Commission in April 2017.

Reablement Service - Bullenshaw Hub is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own accommodation, which includes extra care housing. It provides a service to people over the age of 18. The service offers short term care and support to people following an illness or hospital stay with the aim of enabling them so they can continue living independently in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were five people 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 told us they felt safe and had received equipment to help keep them safer. Staff understood how to provide safe care and support, and said they would report any concerns to the management team. They were confident any issues would be dealt with appropriately. There were enough staff to keep people safe and care was provided by a consistent workforce. Medicines were managed safely and staff received training when they assisted people with their medicines. Staff were often observed administering medicines by their supervisors but their competency was not formally assessed. The provider agreed to introduce annual competency assessments.

Staff received appropriate support and training, which ensured they were equipped with the right skills and knowledge. People consented to their care and support, and were involved in decision making processes. People received assistance with meals and healthcare when required.

People were complimentary about the staff who cared for them. They told us they were friendly and caring. People received a brochure when they first started using the service about what to expect and received information throughout their care package to keep them informed. The provider promoted people’s rights and had systems in place to ensure people were not discriminated against.

People received a flexible service that responded to their individual needs. Everyone understood the purpose of the service and staff worked towards achieving this. The management team were improving their assessment and care planning process. They were developing a new format which they said would ensure people’s needs were clearly identified and staff had sufficient guidance around how care should be delivered. A system was in place for people to share concerns, comments and compliments.

The provider had some systems in place for assessing the quality and safety of the service but these were not always effective. We identified some issues that had not been picked up through the provider’s monitoring processes, such as discrepancies in one staff’s recruitment process and one person’s care plan. Accidents and incidents were dealt with appropriately but they were not always recorded on the correct format which meant the provider could not properly monitor these. Once the issues were brought to the attention of the management team they responded promptly and took swift action to address the concerns. Everyone we spoke with told us the service was well led. We saw people were encouraged to share their views about the service. The management team were knowledgeable about the service.