Start Service - Newark and Bassetlaw Locality

People's experience of using this service: Staff understood people's individual care needs and reablement goals and used this knowledge to provide them with flexible, responsive support which enhanced the quality of their lives. People were involved in the development of their individual support plan.

Staff worked together in a mutually supportive way and communicated effectively, internally and externally. Training and supervision systems were in place to provide staff with the knowledge and skills they required to meet people's needs effectively. There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs.

Staff were kind and attentive in their approach and were committed to supporting people to regain their independence. Staff worked in a non-discriminatory way and promoted people's dignity and privacy. Staff worked alongside local health and social care services to ensure people had access to any specialist support they required. Systems were in place to ensure effective infection prevention and control and people's medicines were managed safely. Staff were aware of people's rights under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and supported people to have maximum choice and control of their lives, in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People's individual risk assessments were reviewed and updated to take account of changes in their needs, although we have made a recommendation about the format of the provider's risk assessment forms. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns to keep people safe from harm. Staff recruitment was safe.

The registered manager had a supportive, democratic leadership style and had the respect and loyalty of her team. A range of audits was in place to monitor the quality and safety of service provision. There was organisational learning from significant incidents and formal complaints were rare. The provider had addressed the areas for improvement identified at our last inspection and was committed to the continuous improvement of the service in the future.