Outreach Office

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects services where personal care is provided this includes assistance with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where applicable, any wider social care provided is also considered. At the time of assessment, the service was supporting 12 people.

People benefitted from a service where safeguarding processes were embedded into daily practice and risks relating to people's health, wellbeing and living environment were appropriately assessed and managed.

Medicines were managed safely, and people's flats and communal areas supported independence while promoting safety.

Staffing arrangements met people's assessed needs, with recruitment processes and ongoing recruitment activity in place to support workforce stability and reduce reliance on agency staff.

Care was delivered in line with people's individual needs and supported by comprehensive assessments, regular reviews and ongoing monitoring. People benefitted from timely access to healthcare professionals, including GPs and District Nurses, where required. Care plans provided clear guidance relating to nutrition, hydration, oral health, mobility, medication and skin integrity, ensuring staff could respond effectively to changing needs.

People were encouraged to maintain their independence, make choices, access activities and sustain important relationships. The management team demonstrated a commitment to improvement and responded promptly to feedback by implementing actions to enhance the dining experience.

A positive and open culture was evident throughout the service, with a clear focus on learning, reflection and continuous improvement. Staff spoke positively about the support they received and felt able to raise concerns, share ideas and contribute to service development.

Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor safety and quality across the service, including audits of risk assessments, care records, daily notes, medicines management and staff training. Although these audits identified areas requiring improvement, actions arising from audit findings were not always consistently recorded or monitored to ensure completion. In addition, a provider visit had identified that the audit tracker had not been fully maintained, limiting effective oversight of progress against identified improvements.

Feedback from people, relatives and staff highlighted opportunities to further strengthen the registered manager's visibility within the service. The registered manager was receptive to this feedback and had already begun taking steps to increase their presence and engagement across the service.