Archived: Prestwood Community Care

The service is registered to provide personal care and support to people in their own homes. The service provides support to older people. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support and personal care to 28 people in their own homes.

There was a registered manager. 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.

The day to day running of the service was carried out by the care co-ordinator.

People felt safe when supported by staff in their own home and were confident that staff knew how to support them correctly and keep them safe from harm. Staff were aware of the risks to people on a daily basis and were kept informed of any changes to their needs in a timely manner. A number of staff had worked at the service for many years and which meant the provider was able to ensure people were supported consistently. People were supported safely with the medicines by staff who had been trained to do this.

Staff felt fully supported and well trained in their role. Additional training was sought by the provider to ensure staff had the skills to meet people’s specific needs. Staff received an induction that prepared them for their role and additional support was available to be them to assist with their learning.

Staff routinely obtained people’s consent prior to offering support and demonstrated a good working knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People were supported by staff who were aware of their healthcare needs and who liaised with healthcare professionals on their behalf.

People were supported by staff who were kind and caring and treated them with dignity and respect. People were involved in the planning of their care and told us staff encouraged and supported them to maintain their independence.

People were supported by staff who were knowledgeable about their likes, dislikes and how they wished to be supported. Regular reviews took place of people’s care needs and any changes responded to in a timely manner. People’s feedback was regularly sought on the service through questionnaires and meetings with the quality lead.

There was a system in place for investigating and recording complaints and people were confident that if they did raise concerns, they would be listened to.

People were complimentary about the service they received, the care staff and the care co-ordinator. Staff felt supported in their role and enjoyed working for the service.

Audits were in place to assess the quality of the service provided and where issues were identified, they were acted upon and lessons were learnt.

People were safeguarded from abuse because care workers were trained in care practices and in identifying and responding to potential incidents of abuse.

Care was provided by care workers who had been through an effective recruitment procedure. The necessary checks and references were obtained to make sure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people.

Care staff were trained, supported and supervised to provide them with the knowledge and skills to provide safe and effective care to an acceptable standard.

Systems were in place to listen to the views of people and to take action when shortfalls were identified or complaints were made.

People and their relatives had been involved in the planning of their care. They told us that they had been consulted about their preferences. One said, 'We went through the care plan in detail. I felt very involved'.

Appropriate arrangements were in place in relation to the recording of medicine. Medicines were handled appropriately and were being safely administered.

Staff had undergone the training necessary, to carry out their role and had a good understanding of people's needs and what they should do to meet them. Staff had regular supervision meetings with their managers. A staff member said, 'Management are very approachable'.

People were regularly asked for feedback and were confident that they could raise concerns if they were not happy with the care being received. We saw evidence that complaints had been dealt with quickly and that action had been taken to address them.

An effective system was in place to monitor and improve performance regarding missed and late calls.