Archived: Poole Office

We surveyed people who used the service and their relatives. We looked at six care plans and visited one person who received a service.

People had care plans in place which showed what they needed support with and how that support should be given. On occasion important information was not recorded correctly which placed people at risk of harm.

The service's recruitment procedures were not consistently followed to ensure all necessary checks were undertaken prior to an individual starting employment.

The service has almost doubled in size since our previous inspection and supported approximately 200 people. We found that staff schedules which showed which visits they would complete did not include travel time. This had led to staff arriving at visits late, and not being able to stay for the allocated period of time for that visit. The manager reported that work was being undertaken to improve this area. However, people who returned surveys told us they still experienced late visits, and on occasion, missed visits and they were not informed of why this occurred.

The provider had systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive. However, information received was not consistently analysed and reviewed to improve the service.

People's privacy, dignity and independence were respected. Their views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided and delivered in relation to their care. For example, they told us they regularly had the opportunity to speak with the provider about their care and their satisfaction with the service they received.

People experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs. They expressed satisfaction with the care they received. For example, people said they were "very happy" with their care workers, that "they all know what to do" and that "I think it's quite good at the moment, the way it works".

People using the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening. All the people we spoke with told us they felt safe with their care workers.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard.

The provider had effective systems in place to assess and monitor regularly the quality of service that people receive, and to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people who use the service and others.