Project Care, a small domiciliary service supporting two autistic people/people with learning disabilities, was rated Good overall at its first inspection but Requires Improvement in well-led due to a lack of formal staff supervision, staff meetings, and gaps in governance/recruitment checks. The registered manager had an action plan to address shortfalls by August 2022, and feedback from people, relatives and professionals about care quality was very positive.
Concerns (6)
moderateSupervision / appraisal: “Staff supervision and staff meetings were not in place and used to develop and motivate staff, review their practice or behaviours, and focus on professional development.”
moderateSupervision / appraisal: “The registered manager told us that regular supervision was undertaken informally but was not recorded.”
moderateGovernance: “Some areas of the providers governance systems needed to be strengthened.”
minorStaff competency: “The provider followed their recruitment procedures... However, this needed to be strengthened to ensure further checks were completed to make the system more robust.”
minorEnd-of-life care: “People did not have end of life care plans or wishes recorded and there was no end of life policy in place.”
minorLeadership: “At the time of our inspection there were no staff meetings taking place.”
Strengths
· Staff supported people to have choice, control and independence over their lives.
· People received kind and compassionate care and staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity.
· Sufficient numbers of staff who were appropriately skilled to meet people's needs and keep them safe.
· Medicines administered, recorded and stored safely with regular health professional reviews.
· Person-centred care with people fully involved in care planning, recruitment and decisions.
Quality-Statement breakdown (23)
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuseGood
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and managementGood
safe: Staffing and recruitmentGood
safe: Using medicines safelyGood
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
safe: Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
effective: Assessing people's needs and choices; delivering care in line with standards, guidance and the lawGood
effective: Staff support: induction, training, skills and experienceGood
effective: Supporting people to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced dietGood
effective: Supporting people to live healthier lives, access healthcare services and supportGood
effective: Ensuring consent to care and treatment in line with law and guidanceGood
caring: Ensuring people are well treated and supported; respecting equality and diversityGood
caring: Supporting people to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their careGood
caring: Respecting and promoting people's privacy, dignity and independenceGood
responsive: Planning personalised care to ensure people have choice and control and to meet their needs and preferencesGood
responsive: Meeting people's communication needsGood
responsive: Supporting people to develop and maintain relationships to avoid social isolationGood
responsive: Improving care quality in response to complaints or concernsGood
responsive: End of life care and supportNot rated
well-led: Managers and staff being clear about their roles, and understanding quality performance, risks and regulatory requirementsRequires improvement
well-led: Promoting a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empoweringGood
well-led: Continuous learning and improving careGood