Creative Support – Durham Services was rated Good overall at its December 2015 inspection, with Requires Improvement for Effective due to the absence of MCA/DoLS training for staff and irregular supervision and appraisals. All other key questions were Good, reflecting strong safeguarding, person-centred care, responsive management, and robust quality assurance processes.
Concerns (4)
moderate
Staff training
: “Staff we spoke with demonstrated an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, they had not received training in this.”
moderateSupervision / appraisal: “Regular supervisions or appraisals had not taken place, with some staff having only received one supervison this year.”
minorMedication management: “We recommend that the service consider the current guidance on managing medicines that need to be administered 'when required' and take action to update their practice accordingly.”
minorStaffing levels: “We are six people down. We're trying to recruit but there isn't the interest and often the people who apply are not the right calibre for this work.”
Strengths
· Medicines were managed safely with appropriate storage, administration records, staff training, and regular competency checks.
· Robust safeguarding procedures in place with staff demonstrating clear understanding of abuse types and reporting processes.
· Detailed, person-centred care plans developed with involvement of people and their relatives, reviewed monthly.
· Thorough risk assessments covering a wide range of individual and environmental risks, regularly updated.
· Strong quality assurance processes including monthly audits for health and safety, medicines management, and complaints monitoring.
Quality-Statement breakdown (17)
safe: SafeguardingGood
safe: Medicines managementGood
safe: Risk assessmentGood
safe: Staffing levels and recruitmentGood
effective: MCA and DoLS trainingRequires improvement
effective: Supervision and appraisalRequires improvement
Creative Support - Durham Services was rated Good across all five key questions at its February 2018 inspection, with strengths in person-centred care, safety systems and community engagement. Minor concerns were noted around staffing shortages in one location, gaps in staff training, PRN medicines recording, and low staff morale linked to inconsistent management presence.
Concerns (5)
moderateStaffing levels: “We are always short staffed, I work 1:1 with a 2:1 client most shifts, the manager puts themselves in for support and don't attend the shift.”
moderateLeadership: “Staff felt very undervalued and said morale was very low, they were extremely short staffed and the managers higher up were not supportive.”
minorMedication management: “We recommend that the information on when to use this medicine plus the expected interval between doses was updated...there was not regular recording to state whether the medicine was effective.”
minorStaff training: “There were some gaps in training that we recommend the provider makes sure missed training sessions are completed by the relevant staff.”
minorSupervision / appraisal: “I rang last week to speak to a manager but one wasn't in. They have had quite a few managers but they don't last long. One lasted two weeks.”
Strengths
· Risk assessments were detailed and reviewed monthly with appropriate action taken following incidents.
· Safe recruitment processes were followed with all required pre-employment checks in place.
· Medicines were managed safely with fully completed MARs and running stock balance checks.
· People were supported to have maximum choice and control; MCA principles were followed and consent clearly documented.
· Staff demonstrated strong, caring relationships with people, treating them with dignity and respect.