Archived: Sure Care Services (Hereford)

During the inspection we spoke with eight of the 125 people who used the service. We spoke with six people by telephone and visited two people in their own home, with the registered manager. We also spoke with the relatives of three further people by telephone. We spoke with the registered manager, the care manager, the care coordinator, the personnel and training manager and care staff. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service and shares the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law with the provider.

We looked at some of the records held by the service including the care files for 12 of the 125 people who used the service.

The summary below describes what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at.

If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

We found people's needs had been assessed and individual care plans drawn up to meet people's needs. We found risk assessments were in place to keep people safe. The provider carried out spot checks to ensure risk assessments and care plans were followed by staff.

Arrangements were in place to deal with foreseeable emergencies. We were told by staff members we spoke with that they were able to contact a manager when needed.

A copy of the local Safeguarding policy and procedure was in place and available to staff. We looked at staff training records and saw staff had received training on safeguarding and on the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff we spoke with told us what they would do in the event of abuse being witnessed, suspected or alleged. We found the provider had taken appropriate action to ensure people at risk of abuse were protected.

We found there were enough staff to meet the needs of the people cared for by Sure Care Services (Hereford).

Is the service effective?

People told us that they were happy with the care they received and felt their needs had been met. One person we spoke with told us, "Their support has meant I can stay in my own home".

We found staff received training to meet the needs of people. Staff members we spoke with told us they received the training needed to meet people's needs. One staff member told us, 'The training provided is good".

Is the service caring?

We found people who used the service understood the care and treatment choices available to them. We saw people had been involved in agreeing to the levels of care and support they needed. We spoke with people who told us they had agreed how and when they would be cared for.

People told us they liked the staff and found them to be kind and caring.

Is the service responsive?

We found the provider had listened to people's views and made changes to the service provided as a result. People told us the provider had altered the times of their care and support when requested. We found the provider matched staff skills and abilities to the needs of people using the service.

People using the service and relatives told us they felt the provider responded to issues they raised regarding the care and support provided. A relative told us, "I do contact them quite regularly and we sort out any problems".

Is the service well-led?

Staff we spoke with told us they had received training to carry out their roles effectively. We looked at staff training records and saw that training was planned and provided. Staff we spoke with told us they felt well supported by the provider.

We found the provider monitored the health and safety of people using the service, staff and others.

We saw that people were regularly asked once a year for their views about the service by means of satisfaction questionnaires. People felt they could raise concerns and these were listened to. Most people said they had not needed to raise any concerns.

Staff felt well trained and supported. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service. Some management systems had not been used fully to monitor the service in 2013 due to senior staff vacancies but improvements were being made.

People told us that they felt safe with the agency's staff. Staff told us that they would report any concerns about possible neglect or abuse to senior staff at the agency's office.

We saw that there was a clear process in place to ensure that appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work. One relative told us "they're so good with X (name of person). It's obvious that they know what they're doing".

We saw that people were regularly asked for their views about the service by means of satisfaction questionnaires. One person told us "I can just sum them up in one word: marvellous".