Care Quality Services Oldham

At the time of this assessment, 107 people were receiving support from the service. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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.

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

We caried out a comprehensive assessment and this was the service’s first inspection since registering with a new provider.

People were protected from the risks of abuse and staff were trusted to keep them safe. Staff had received training in how to safeguard people.

Medicines were managed safely. Staff had to undertake training before they could administer medicines and received competency checks to ensure they administered medicines safely.

Recruitment checks were robust to ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. Staff had the necessary safety checks in place before starting work and completed a full induction.

People's care needs were risk assessed and care plans provided staff with the information they needed to manage the identified risk. People and their relatives were consulted about the care provided and were supported to achieve outcomes to improve their health and wellbeing. The service worked well with other health and social care professionals and supported people to achieve good outcomes.

Person-centred care was promoted. People’s views and decisions about care were incorporated within their care packages. This helped staff to support people in a way that allowed people to have control over their lives and make day-to-day decisions.

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.

Governance systems were in place to monitor the standard of care people received. People and their relatives’ views had been sought through regular contact, surveys and quality monitoring to drive service improvements.

The provider, registered manager and staff had a shared culture and passion for ensuring people reached their maximum potential. The registered manager was visible and accessible for staff to seek advice and guidance. Staff praised the registered manager and the wider management team. Staff spoke positively about the support they received.