Assist Homecare (Scotland) Ltd Support Service c/o APL Centre Stevenston Industrial Estate Stevenston KA20 3LR Telephone: 01294 537191 Type of inspection: Announced (short notice) Inspection completed on: 14 June 2017 Service provided by: Assist Homecare (Scotland) Ltd Service provider number: SP2011011382 Care service number: CS2011280306
About the service Assist Homecare was registered with the Care Inspectorate in September 2011 to provide Care at Home to adults. The service is based in Stevenston and operates in the North Ayrshire area. At the time of the inspection 51 people were receiving a service from Assist. The service aims and objectives state that "participation means that service users are the experts in themselves and their own needs." We discussed with the manager that there were aspects of the service provided which were out-with the areas of support provided under a registered Support Service (Care at Home); these aspects should be provided by a registered Housing Support Service. The manager agreed to apply to the Care Inspectorate to register a Housing Support Service; which could be combined with the Support Service (Care at Home) registration. What people told us Prior to the inspection we sent out 20 care standard questionnaires to the service and requested that they distributed them to people who use the service. We received 12 completed questionnaires. During the inspection we visited five people who use the service is their own homes to discuss the service. The comments that we received were almost entirely positive about the service, with people receiving support from regular carers who turned up when they were expected and stayed for the full time expected. "The staff are friendly, reliable and give me encouragement." People also spoke highly of the management of the service. "The management team are very good and nothing is too much trouble." Several people said that they were able to compare this service with ones that they had used previously and they believed Assist was better; the words "professional" and "reliable" were used a lot to describe the service. Self assessment We did not ask the provider to submit a self-assessment this year. From this inspection we graded this service as: Quality of care and support Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good not assessed What the service does well People told us that they are treated with respect and were confident that the staff understood what their needs were and what was important to them. Staff we spoke with came across as knowledgeable about the people that they support. If people wish to get involved in recruiting their own staff they can, and they are asked for their views on staff prior to staff appraisals. page 2 of 5
We saw really good engagement between staff and the people they support. People told us that they felt staff cared about them as did their families, for example one relative told us "staff show empathy for my father-inlaw and at all times are very professional," another wrote; "Mum feels like the girls are like family to her, they are willing to accommodate any requests we make." People who use the service told us that it was reliable and they liked that it was flexible. Over the last year the service has put a lot of resources into supporting staff out in the community. They have done this by carrying out staff audits which have an element of quality assurance and an element of supervision to them. We sampled some of these audits and they encourage staff to reflect on what they are doing. What the service could do better While care plans consider short and long term goals for service users, the provider should source outcome focused training for staff to support them to continue to develop support plans. To help with this we advised the manager to consider the documents; 'Talking points' (from the Joint Improvement Team of the Scottish Government) and the 'Meaningful and Measurable Project,' (from Health Improvement Scotland, H.I.S.) which can be found on the internet. The provider's strategic action plan for 2017 discusses the need to review the skills shortages amongst the staff team and put in place training to address these needs. For example one of the management team has completed Stirling Universities Dementia champions' course so they are now able to roll out dementia training to the staff team. The management team should ensure they capture the outcomes from the skills audit in the service's self-evaluation next year. We discussed with the manager the need to review risk assessments around supporting people with bathing or showering. This is in light of the outcomes from the fatal accident inquiries which have been highlighted in the media this year involving people who used similar services. (see recommendation one) Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 1 1. The provider should review risk assessments around supporting individuals with bathing and showering. NCS 4 Care at Home - Management and. Complaints There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com. page 3 of 5
Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 4 May 2016 Unannounced Care and support Management and leadership 28 Apr 2015 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Management and leadership 5 - Very good 2 May 2014 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Management and leadership 3 May 2013 Announced (short notice) Care and support 5 - Very good Management and leadership 3 May 2013 Announced (short notice) Care and support 5 - Very good Management and leadership 4 May 2012 Unannounced Care and support Management and leadership page 4 of 5
To find out more This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can download this report and others from our website. Care services in Scotland cannot operate unless they are registered with the Care Inspectorate. We inspect, award grades and help services to improve. We also investigate complaints about care services and can take action when things aren't good enough. Please get in touch with us if you would like more information or have any concerns about a care service. You can also read more about our work online at www.careinspectorate.com Contact us Care Inspectorate Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY enquiries@careinspectorate.com 0345 600 9527 Find us on Facebook Twitter: @careinspect Other languages and formats This report is available in other languages and formats on request. Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas. page 5 of 5