Renfrewshire Carers Centre Support Service Unit 55 Abbey Mill Business Centre Embroidery Mill Paisley PA1 1TJ Telephone: 0141 887 3643 Type of inspection: Announced (short notice) Inspection completed on: 26 February 2018 Service provided by: Renfrewshire Carers Centre Service provider number: SP2004006777 Care service number: CS2004076545
About the service Renfrewshire Carers Centre is a voluntary organisation which provides a range of support services. The Home Based Respite Sitting Service was registered with the Care Inspectorate in April 2011 as a Care at Home service. The service is provided through a Renfrewshire Council contract is provided for all age groups with any illness, condition or disability. Time is allocated based on individual needs with a maximum of eight hours a week. The aims of the service include 'to improve the quality of life for carers and the person they care for by providing respite and support' and 'to provide and maintain a quality respite sitting service that addresses the on-going needs of the carer'. The service also includes giving respite to parents or carers of young people with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) by providing regular groups. The groups provide young people with ADHD between eight and 18 years old with a stimulating environment and support from their peers, whilst giving parents a break from their caring role. Aims of the ADHD groups include 'increased confidence and social skills, more opportunities to take part in activities that are fun, stimulating and rewarding and improved well-being'. A Care at Home service was developed in 2015, providing care for all age groups with any illness, condition or disability, for up to 24 hours a day. Services include respite, personal care, housework, escort, companionship, shopping and meal support. What people told us At the time of inspection the service had 161 service users. We gathered the view of 28 service users and family carers. The people who gave us their views spoke very positively about the service and the support they received. People told us about the positive impact the service had on their lives and families. People also very much valued the staff who supported them. People's comments included: "My carer is a life saver. It's like having a family friend" "Brilliant girls; constantly being pro-active about our situation* "They're like part of the family now" "We worked out who I am at ease with. There were two times when it didn't work out so well and I felt comfortable to say so." "We are very happy with the service we got" "They really try to meet your requirements" "We are very much achieving what we planned". "It's very rare that they are late, and if that happens they call me straight away" page 2 of 7
"I have my own carers allocated. If something changes I am informed in advance." "They are very flexible. My carer has to be able to get along with my young children as well and she does it brilliantly" "I never had to receive care before. They made it really easy for me" "Carers are all competent" "My carer is definitely skilled" "As a family carer I was on the verge of a breakdown. I couldn't believe to get a respite service so quickly. It has been absolutely magnificent and it has changed my life. "This service provides peace of mind for my family" "I have been impressed by the carers interactions with my mum" "As parents we also get a lot of support from the service" "My son thrives in the environment. He feels calm and relaxed and believes people understand him in the group. "They have been a light for me" Self assessment We did not request a self assessment for this inspection. Instead we discussed with the manager the annual development plan and how this was being used to monitor and make improvements to the service. We will review this at the next inspection. 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 experienced very positive outcomes that enhanced their well-being. Staff were very good at promoting people's rights. People were encouraged and enabled to be as independent as possible, make choices and have control of their care. One service user told us: "I don't think I would have had a life without this service - that's the difference it makes". We saw very good examples of supporting people to stay active or regain abilities. One person stated: "I was even introduced to doing a few challenging things that turned out to be really good for me." page 3 of 7
Another service user stated: "I needed help with motivation. The carers go swimming with me. The visits vastly improved my well-being". A family carer told us: "His carer created a playlist with my dad's favourite songs. My dad used to be a bus driver and the carer has arranged to take him to the transport museum." People were very involved in their support. They had regular opportunities to formally review if the care they received met their needs and expectations. One service user said: "I was always asked what I want and what would make me feel better. It's amazing to have that dignity." People told us that meet senior staff regularly to review their care plans. A family carer said: "They update the plan all the time and ask if we want to change something". Another family carer stated: "They discussed everything with us. The assessment was very thorough". Several people pointed out that a particular strength of the service was to match service users well with their carers. One service user told us: "The manager and I worked out who I am at ease with". Another person said: "We got to meet the carer first and could give feedback discreetly. It felt very comfortable". Staff members were motivated and enjoyed their work. Staff commented that the management team was very supportive and listened to their views. We found that the service carried out very effective regular individual and group supervision sessions. These sessions aimed to support staff, share information and create opportunities for learning. Staff told us: this "helped to do the job". A staff member told us: "I got a lot out of the supervision. It made me feel confident." We found that the service maintained a very good training plan that appeared to cover the types of care the service delivers. The service also reviewed individual and general training needs regularly. Where necessary the service used relevant healthcare specialists to deliver training. Staff members told us that they felt very confident that the service would arrange any training they need. Service users told us: page 4 of 7
"Staff are very competent" and "my carer is definitely skilled and knows her job very well". What the service could do better We discussed with the management team that the wording of the medication policy could be clearer to avoid misunderstandings and give clear instructions to staff. The care inspectorate document 'Review of medicine management procedures - guidance for care at home services' could help to guide this review. We suggested that the service could introduce working with reflective records and observations of practice for staff. This could create further opportunities for effective learning and building of professional competence. Working with reflective records could also support staff with maintaining evidence of on-going learning as part of their professional registration with the SSSC. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Complaints There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com. Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 24 Feb 2017 Unannounced Care and support 21 Mar 2016 Unannounced Care and support page 5 of 7
Date Type Gradings 5 Mar 2015 Unannounced Care and support 3 Feb 2014 Announced (short notice) Care and support 6 - Excellent 4 Feb 2013 Announced (short notice) Care and support 6 - Excellent 20 Oct 2010 Announced Care and support 10 Nov 2009 Announced Care and support 24 Jul 2008 Announced Care and support 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good page 6 of 7
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 7 of 7