Caring Connections - Wigan

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection there were 139 people in receipt of personal care and therefore included in the inspection.

People and relatives told us the service provided safe care which met their needs. Staff received training in safeguarding and knew how to identify and report concerns. Risks to people had been assessed with guidance for staff to follow to ensure people's safety. Medicines were administered safely by staff who had been trained and assessed as competent. Medicines records were not always completed correctly, although this had been identified through audits and monitoring.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People receiving support with food and drink were happy with the assistance provided. Staff received the necessary training and support to provide safe and effective care. However, it was not clear whether staff had received supervision in line with the provider's policy.

We have made a recommendation about the completion of staff supervision.

People and relatives were complimentary about the care and the staff who provided this. Care staff were described as kind, considerate and friendly. People told us their privacy and dignity were respected and care staff offered them choices and promoted their independence, as much as possible.

Care files explained how people wanted to be supported and contained lots of person-centred information, to ensure care staff knew people as individuals. Information was available in a range of formats to ensure it was accessible to all. The complaints process was provided to people at the beginning of their care package. Each person or relative we spoke with knew how to raise concerns, and where they had, told us improvements had been made.

People, relatives and staff were largely positive about the management of the service and support provided. A range of systems and processes were used to monitor the quality and effectiveness of the service. Some shortfalls with these had been identified by the provider and a new system introduced to better capture issues and actions taken. We noted a number of ways in which people and relatives were involved in the care provided. Additional services were offered to people and the wider public, to support their wellbeing.