Archived: Polkadot Care Limited (Nottingham Branch)

On the day of our inspection there were 22 people using the service being cared for by ten staff.

We spoke with the deputy branch manager, the care coordinator and four members of care staff. We also spoke with three people who used the service and one relative.

We considered the findings of our inspection to answer questions we always ask: Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service well led?

Is the service caring?

The people we spoke with all told us the carers were good. One person's said, 'The carers come in and they are good.'

On staff member said that they thought the service was so good that they recommended it to a member of their family.

We found there were processes in place to assess people's care needs and give them person centred care.

Is the service responsive?

One relative told us that care staff always contacted them when the person needed groceries or if their supply of medication was running low.

Is the service safe?

People told us they felt safe with the people who cared for them. One person said, 'I'm very safe and if I wasn't happy I would tell them.'

We saw care files had information on who to contact in an emergency, such as the person's family or their utility companies.

We found there were processes in place for people to safely receive their medication.

Is the service effective?

People spoke positively about the care they received and said they were involved in planning their care.

We saw the feedback from recent quality assurance surveys were positive.

Care staff were supported to develop their skills to give effective treatment to people.

Is the service well led?

Care staff told us the service was well led. They said they could approach senior staff with any problems, personal and professional. One member of staff said, 'They are excellent, you can talk to them about anything.

People had given their consent prior to receiving care and support from Polkadot Care. Staff were careful to offer choices and follow people's wishes when providing support to them.

People's needs had not always been properly assessed and in some cases there were no care plans in place to explain how their care and support was to be delivered.

There was a lack of information to confirm the support people required with medicines. Recording systems indicated that people did not receive their prescribed medicines on a reliable basis and arrangements for the administration of eye drops were unsafe.

There were no reliable systems in place to support staff or to check that people were satisfied with the service they received.

We spoke to two relatives of people who were using the service and one person said, "The staff are friendly, outgoing and considerate. The staff are on time, and have been punctual through the bad weather too.' Another person said, 'My [relative] is very well cared for.'

People told us they felt safe with the support they were being provided. One person said, "I feel safe in their care.' People told us they liked the staff and staff were able to meet their needs. They also told us they felt they could speak to the staff and they would be listened to.

We found that staff were supported to provide care that met people's needs. The provider was making appropriate checks before a new member of staff started work. We also found that the provider took steps to assess the quality of the service being provided.