About the service:

Sheffield City council's Care4you - City Wide Alarms service is an emergency response alarm service which covers the city of Sheffield. The office is in the Darnall area of Sheffield. The service operates twenty-four hours each day, seven days each week. Support staff respond to alarm calls and aid people in their own homes. At the time of this inspection 8,162 people were registered to receive a service from City Wide Alarms. The service does not provide any planned care, and only provides personal care where this is needed. The Care Quality commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service:

People supported by the service and their relatives consistently told us the registered manager, support managers and staff who supported them were nice, reliable, caring and professional in their approach to their work. They spoke positively about the quality of service provided. Their comments included, “They are pleasant and considerate and I couldn’t ask for more,” “I’ve used them a number of times recently and they’ve always been excellent,” “They are a god send,” and “They couldn’t have been nicer when they came. They were very kind and considerate.”

People were safe as risk management plans identified known risks and gave staff clear guidance on how to mitigate those risks. Staff had sufficient understanding of how to identify, respond to and escalate suspected abuse. Staff received on-going safeguarding training.

The registered provider had taken prompt and appropriate action to learn lessons when things went wrong. This included a review of the information kept about people who used the service and a change to the numbers and deployment of the support staff.

Staff had undertaken a good range of training, and this was refreshed regularly. Staff also received regular supervision and an annual appraisal. Staff told us they could speak with the managers at any time and they would listen to them and give advice.

People were supported by staff that encouraged their independence, treated them equally and with kindness and compassion. People told us staff were kind, caring and patient when supporting them.

People said they received effective health care with positive outcomes. They said staff at the service liaised with other healthcare professionals to ensure their health needs were met. We saw evidence of multi-agency working to meet people's health care needs. The service ensured appropriate referrals were made in cases where people needed a higher level of assistance than they could offer.

People said they were consulted with about all aspects of their care and support. They said they could raise any concerns with the management team and were confident they would be dealt with professionally and in a timely manner.

People, their relatives and staff spoke positively about the registered manager. People and staff confirmed the management structure at the service was effective. People's views were regularly sought to drive improvements.

The registered manager carried out regular audits of the service to monitor the service provision. Issues identified during the audits were acted on swiftly and lessons learnt to minimise the risk of repeat incidents.

The registered manager continued to encourage partnership working with other stakeholders and healthcare professionals.

More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published on 14 December 2016).

Why we inspected: We carried out this comprehensive inspection slightly ahead of schedule because we were notified about a serious incident in which a person using the service died. We looked at risks associated with this. Further information is in the full report

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionat

The inspection took place on 13 October 2016 and was announced. Due to the nature of the service we gave notice to ensure the registered manager would be available to us during the inspection. The service was last inspected September 2013, and was found to be fully compliant at that time.

Sheffield City council’s Care4you - City Wide Alarms service is an emergency response alarm service which covers the city of Sheffield. The office is in the Darnall area of Sheffield. The service operates twenty-four hours each day, seven days each week. Response staff respond to alarm calls and provide assistance to people in their own homes. At the time of this inspection approximately 8,500 people were registered to receive a service from City Wide Alarms. The service does not provide any planned care, and only provides personal care where this is needed.

There was a registered manager in post, they had been registered to manage the service since January 2012. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People we spoke with told us staff responded to their needs promptly and they felt safe with the staff who attended them.

Accidents and incidents were recorded and were reviewed by, and where necessary, investigated by a manager.

Staff recruitment processes were safe and robust. There were sufficient staff on duty to meet the needs of people in a timely manner.

Staff had undertaken a good range of training, and this was refreshed regularly.

Staff received regular supervision and an annual appraisal.

The service ensured appropriate referrals were made in cases where people needed a higher level of assistance than they could offer.

Staff were committed and passionate about their roles.

People told us staff were kind, caring and patient when supporting them.

The service ensured when people started the service they had all the relevant information about the equipment and how to use it.

There were up to date records kept for everyone who used the service, to ensure key information was immediately available.

Personal preferences were recorded and observed in relation to whom people wanted to be contacted in an emergency.

Complaints were recorded and investigated and responded to in line with organisational policies and procedures.

There was a positive culture evident and staff told us they felt they were supported by the management of the service.

There was a clear management structure, so that staff knew who they should approach with any concerns or questions.

The service worked in partnership with other agencies within the council, to ensure people received a service which met their needs and kept them safe.

We visited the service on 24 September 2013 as part of our scheduled inspection programme. We spoke with 31 people who used the service by telephone, four staff and the registered manager. We also sent out 61 questionnaires to people that used the service and 20 were returned.

Before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes.

Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. People who used the service told us that they were happy with the care and support they received at City Wide Alarms. One person told us, “They are always there when she [family member] needs them.”

People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening. People we spoke with said that they felt safe and supported by the staff. People were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive.

We carried out a routine/scheduled inspection of this service. We visited the office and spoke with the registered manager and a support manager about aspects of the organisation and running of the service. In addition, two support staff and a telecare technician came to the office to meet with us so that we could talk to them about working for Care4you City Wide Alarms.

At the time of this inspection 16 wardens (support staff) were employed by the service. Staff spoken with said that Care4you City Wide Alarms was a very good service to work for. They told us that they received good support and training so that they could do their jobs well. Staff told us that they were always given information about people prior to them responding to calls. Staff told us that they felt proud to work for Care4you City Wide Alarms.

At the time of this inspection approximately 11,200 people were registered with the service. During this inspection we obtained information regarding the calls to the service that had taken place over the two days prior to this inspection. We telephoned four people that had received support from Care4you City Wide Alarms during this period and spoke with them about their experiences of the support they had received.

People spoke positively about the service. They told us that support staff had been polite and respectful and had provided them with the support they needed. People’s comments included; “They are a really good service. I had a fall and the staff were very kind. They were very helpful.” “I rang them because I needed some help. The staff were wonderful and sorted me out. It is a brilliant service that gives me and my family peace of mind.” People spoken with felt that staff were well trained and they felt safe with the support workers.