Care Quality Services Coventry

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

People and relatives told us they were not always involved in the assessing, planning and reviewing of people’s care and support plans. People’s individual care plans had been reviewed and were detailed so staff had the information they needed to provide effective care. Care plan information was uploaded to a digital system which gave staff the information they needed to meet people’s needs. Staff told us they were supported by office staff to seek health professionals’ involvement where needed. Stakeholders shared positive feedback and said staff made appropriate referrals where required. Care plans demonstrated people’s needs were identified but some records required more detail to evidence what was given.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People felt they were consulted when the service started and most people reported that a member of the agency staff had been to visit them to discuss their needs and a care plan had been written.

A member of staff with allocated responsibility for assessing people’s care needs told us that assessments were always carried out face to face and in people’s homes. They told us, “You can get a lot from the social worker assessment, but they can miss things out or things have changed, so you need to go out and check things yourself.”

An assessment of people's health and support needs was carried out before they started to receive care and support from the service. Plans remained reflective of people’s needs. However, for care plans for people receiving 24 hour care we found aspects of current assessments needed more information. The manager agreed to review those plans so they remained effective for staff to follow.

People told us their care and treatment was what they needed. One relative said, “I think their care plan was updated when we went down from 2 calls to 1 call. People felt involved in day to choices, one person said, “My regular carers always have a chat with me before anything is done and check that I'm happy.”

Staff told us they followed people’s care plans, giving people choice and choice of what they wanted to eat and drink. Staff told us they followed best practice guidance, for example when supporting a person fed via a tube or for a person requiring thickened fluids. Guidance was in place, but not always followed. We found no impact on people’s health and welfare and the manager took immediate steps to ensure records were accurate.

Processes included care record and daily record checks to ensure people’s needs continued to be met. Health professionals’ advice was sought when required and followed which helped shape people’s care information when needs changed.

Most people did not have to use other health services, but people felt the service themselves worked well when sharing information with family and between those staff who supported them. One relative said, “[Relative] gets information on their phone which tells them the name and time that the next day's carer will arrive. I have never missed a visit and when they come in they always know what to do, even a completely new one (staff) seems to know what to do.”

Staff shared information and examples to us when they contacted health professionals for advice, support or guidance. Staff said they had supported people to contact their GP, social worker and occupational therapists for support.

Stakeholder feedback was positive, and we were told they were contacted for advice, support and those conversations were held at the right times and any advice or guidance was followed.

Support plans were clear that staff should report any concerns about people’s health or their clinical needs so advice could be sought from other healthcare professionals such as district nurses or doctors.

People told us their health and wellbeing was maintained and the support they got helped them in everyday life. One person said, “They (staff) don't just stand around for example whilst they're waiting for the kettle to boil they'll do another little job. It makes me feel confident it's those little touches that make the difference.”

A staff member told us they would make referrals to other healthcare professionals to ensure people had the support they needed to promote and maintain their health and safety. They explained that if they had any concerns, “We would phone the district nurses and get the occupational therapist out. It is important to keep them safe and stop them being readmitted to hospital.”

Support plans included guidance for staff to support people’s health. When people needed support for personal care, staff had the information as well as how to manage people’s oral health. Where people had specific health conditions, there was information available to inform staff. Reviews helped kept records updated.

People and relatives were complimentary about their care. Where people went into hospital or who had a sudden illness or health condition, people said staff responded well. People told us they could increase/decrease or cancel care calls to fit in with their needs and choices.

A staff member told us, "We get an alert to say how often they (support plans) need reviewing, but if someone has come out of hospital or their needs have changed, then we would review them then." Staff said they had the information to manage people’s health and welfare.

Some processes were not always effective to make sure some clinical tasks were completed and recorded regularly, for example monitoring a persons’ temperature and oxygen levels or if someone had to undertaker regular exercise.

People’s consent was sought, followed and staff were considerate and kind. One person said, “They (staff) always tell me when somethings going to be cold, like using a spray.” Another person said, “My regular carers always have a chat with me before anything is done and check that I'm happy for them to be here in a way.”

Staff described the importance of seeking consent, whether the person had capacity or not. Staff gave situations when consent was sought, such as with supporting people with food and drink, personal care or when they wanted something completed.

People’s ability to consent to different aspects of their support was considered during the assessment process and reflected in people’s support plans. This was confirmed by reviewing plans and conversation with staff. Where people had Powers of Attorney, this was noted in their support plan so staff understood who they should involve in care planning discussions.