Archived: VictoriaDomCare

At the time of our inspection, the service was operating from the registered provider's address, not from the location address shown above. The provider told us they sent an application to change the location address following our last inspection in 2013; however we had no record in our system. The provider said they believed the changes would be made and had not followed this up. At this inspection, the provider told us they had found new premises and were in the process of submitting an application to change their address to ensure their registration with us was correct.

Victoria DomCare is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to older people who may have a physical disability or living with dementia. The agency provides personal care to people in their own homes. The agency provides care calls to people seven days a week, and calls vary from 15 minutes to 45 minutes duration. At the time of our inspection there were 15 people using the service.

This service was last inspected on 13 November 2013, when we found the provider was compliant with the essential standards described in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010.

The provider for this service is a single owner. They do not require a registered manager as the provider undertakes all of the management tasks, as well as providing personal care to people they support.

Risk assessments and support plans had been developed with the involvement of people and family members. Staff had the relevant information on how to minimise identified risks. This ensured people were supported in a safe and caring way, however some care plans required improvements to ensure staff provided consistent care.

People received their medicines as prescribed and safe systems were in place to manage people’s medicines.

Recruitment procedures ensured suitable staff were employed to work with people who used the service. Staff told us they had received some training and an induction that had helped them to understand and support people better.

The provider understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), and care workers respected people’s decisions and gained people’s consent before they provided personal care.

There were enough care workers to deliver the care and support people required. People had consistent care workers who stayed long enough to complete the care people required. People told us care workers were friendly and caring and had the right skills to provide the care and support they required.

People’s needs and preferences were met when care was provided, and people were supported to meet their individual dietary needs. People were encouraged to maintain good health and to access health care services as required.

People told us that staff respected their privacy and dignity, when providing personal care and support. People’s care was tailored to meet their individual needs.

The provider’s complaints policy and procedures were accessible to people who used the service and their representatives. People knew how to make a complaint, however people we spoke with had not needed to make any formal complaints.

Arrangements were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service, so that actions could be taken to drive improvement. However, records of actions taken, were not always recorded which made it difficult to evidence what improvements had been made.

People told us they were always treated with respect. People said, "They treat us both really, really well" and "X is gentle, lovely, and quiet." We saw that new care staff's induction programme included guidance to help them promote people's independence and human rights.

The provider assessed risks to people's health and well-being and wrote care plans that minimised people's identified risks. We found that the two care plans we looked at, met the individual needs and abilities described in people's assessments. The manager or senior carer regularly reviewed and updated people's care plans to meet their changing needs. Care staff told us the care plans and daily records were always available so they knew how people were and what they needed to do.

The provider had an effective records policy. People's current care plans were kept in their own homes, where people and their relatives could read them at any time. The provider kept people's previous care records and staff records in a locked cabinet in the office. The provider told us that old records would be shredded after six years.

We spoke with a relative of the person who used the service. They told us, 'These carers are wonderful, they are really good.' The relative told us they had a written care plan, which was kept in their own home.

The provider took action to keep people safe from harm, by having a policy, procedures and training for staff. Information about how staff should report any concerns was included in the staff handbook and the service users' handbook.

The provider and one care staff were trained to meet the needs of service users. We found that the planned staff induction process was detailed and included all appropriate checks to make sure that future staff would be suitable to work with vulnerable people.

We found the provider had systems in place to monitor delivery of care and the quality of the service. The provider had scheduled a satisfaction survey for people who use services. The care staff we spoke with told us they always checked that their service user was happy with their care before the end of their daily visits.