Archived: Gateway Health & Social Care Ltd

People we spoke with were mostly happy with the care they received. One person said, "They are always patient. They don't rush. It's not about them doing it their way." Another told us, "I am happy with the service. Very contented." A relative said, "They are very good. I think they are really professional."

We saw people had an assessment of their needs prior to starting to use the service. Care plans were based upon that assessment of needs and regularly reviewed. There was a procedure in place to audit medication records.

Staff received regular training to support them in meeting the needs of the people they cared for.

We found there were improvements needed in care records. Records were not being consistently maintained. We could not be sure people had the most up to date care plans in their homes.

We spoke to staff, observed policies and processes, examined six staff records, reviewed six sets of notes and spoke to eight people using the service to gain further insight of the care provided.

People using the service were generally satisfied with the care they received. Many had received care from the agency for a number of years and found the carers to be friendly and were glad they came. One person said, 'They (the carers) are very good to me'. Another said, 'Everyone does a sterling job'. It was generally felt that the carers made a positive contribution to their lives. However, there were several comments that carers did not always arrive on time and that this was a cause for concern.

We saw evidence of quality management processes that audited the quality of care and deal with incidents and complaints. There were risk assessments in place to ensure that risks were highlighted and managed. Although, risk assessments for the prevention of pressure sores required review and it was not easy to see how often reviews of care took place or risk assessments were updated.

There were processes in place to recruit staff and support their training. All the staff we spoke to enjoyed their job and felt well supported by the provider.