Archived: Wareham - Care at Home

During this inspection, we were informed by some of the people that used the service or their relatives that there had been some missed and late calls. Most people we spoke with told us that their care workers always treated them with respect and kindness. One relative told us that they thought the care was 'excellent, no concerns at all.'

Systems were not used effectively to ensure that prescribed medication was available in the person`s home and medication records were not always completed.

All the staff we spoke with told us that they had received induction and on-going training. Most staff felt that they had the right training to carry out the role.

We found that the registered manager did not implement systems effectively to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided.

We looked at 16 care records held in the office and five care records in people`s homes. Most of the care records that we looked at were up to date and contained clear information about the person and how best to support their care needs.

People told us they were involved in the assessments and care planning of their relatives. However, we saw that the agency had not sought the consent of the people receiving care to share information about their health and care.

People generally thought very highly of the care staff although at times they had raised concerns and staff were replaced to their satisfaction. One person said that if staff "become sloppy, I pull the reins back.' Another person said 'they are all angels.' People didn't like the ever changing staff providing care.

Staff were aware of the need to report any allegation of abuse. The agency showed that they had taken appropriate action when they were informed of an allegation of abuse.

Although the agency was short of care staff they were managing to cover all visits as required by care plans. We saw that some staff training was not up to date. We were told that a number of staff were working towards attaining National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 2 or 3.

People's views and experiences were sought to improve the service. The provider had systems to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. However, there was not always evidence that actions identified had been addressed.