The service improved from Requires Improvement to Good overall, with the previous breach of regulation 19 (recruitment) resolved and medicines records and quality monitoring now reflecting best practice. Only one person was using the service, who received consistent, person-centred care, though partnership communication with the local authority remained a work in progress.
Concerns (1)
minor
Communication with families
: “At times the provider had not communicated as effectively as they could have done with the local authority”
Strengths
· Improved recruitment and selection processes including management checks and exploration of employment gaps
· Updated medicines policy reflecting NICE best practice with clear and accurate MAR records
· Improved quality monitoring systems with audits covering previously identified gaps
· Staff trained in safeguarding, infection control, food hygiene, MCA and equality and diversity
· Person-centred care with consistent staff and respect for the person's choices, dignity and independence
Quality-Statement breakdown (22)
safe: Staffing and recruitmentGood
safe: Using medicines safelyGood
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and managementGood
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuseGood
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
safe: Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
effective: Assessing people's needs and choices; delivering care in line with standards, guidance and the lawGood
effective: Staff support: induction, training, skills and experienceGood
effective: Supporting people to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced dietGood
effective: Supporting people to live healthier lives, access healthcare services and supportGood
effective: Ensuring consent to care and treatment in line with law and guidanceGood
caring: Ensuring people are well treated and supported; respecting equality and diversityGood
caring: Supporting people to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their careGood
caring: Respecting and promoting people's privacy, dignity and independenceGood
responsive: Planning personalised care to ensure people have choice and control and to meet their needs and preferences; End of life care and supportGood
responsive: Supporting people to develop and maintain relationships to avoid social isolationGood
responsive: Meeting people's communication needsGood
responsive: Improving care quality in response to complaints or concernsGood
well-led: Continuous learning and improving careGood
well-led: Managers and staff being clear about their roles, and understanding quality performance, risks and regulatory requirementsGood
well-led: Promoting a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empoweringGood
Simply Care Partners deteriorated from Good to Requires improvement overall, driven by a Regulation 19 breach over unsuitable recruitment checks (mismatched referees, unsigned references, unexplained employment gaps) and medicines recording not aligned to NICE best practice. Effective, caring and responsive domains remained Good, with positive feedback on staff kindness, cultural diversity and person-centred care, though weekend visit timeliness and management oversight required improvement.
Concerns (5)
criticalGovernance: “The provider's recruitment arrangements had not been robustly maintained. The provider had not queried discrepancies or sought additional assurances about the information provided by new staff”
criticalRecord keeping: “references taken up for them were typed on un-headed paper and unsigned. One of these references referred to a person that did not match the name of the staff member”
moderateGovernance: “The provider's systems for assessing and monitoring the quality of the service had not been entirely effective”
moderateMedication management: “medicines recording arrangements did not reflect current best practice... best practice in relation to medicines had not been fully embedded at the service”
minorMissed or late visits: “they had mixed experiences about the support provided by staff at weekends... 'The weekends are hit and miss.'”
Strengths
· Staff knew what action to take to protect people from abuse and were clear on safeguarding responsibilities
· Risks to people had been assessed with guidance in place to minimise them
· Sufficient staff to meet people's needs with appropriate skills matching
· Staff received regular training, induction, supervision and unannounced spot checks
· People supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts, with culturally specific food preferences met
Quality-Statement breakdown (19)
safe: Recruitment checks were not robust enough to ensure only suitable staff were employedRequires improvement
safe: Medicines recording arrangements did not reflect current best practiceRequires improvement
safe: Staff knew what action to take to protect people from abuseGood
safe: There were enough staff to meet people's needsGood
safe: Staff followed good practice to reduce infection risksGood
effective: Needs assessed and delivered in line with current legislation and standardsGood
effective: Staff received appropriate training, induction and supervisionGood
effective: People supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts