Archived: Goyt Valley Carers

Goyt Valley Carers is a domiciliary care agency. At the time of this inspection they were providing personal care support to 20 people in their own homes.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were consistently safe and protected from avoidable harm. We found the provider had implemented effective infection and prevention control measures in line with government guidelines around the COVID-19 pandemic. Risks to people’s safety were assessed and mitigated and people told us they felt the service was safe.

People and relatives told us the way the service is led is exceptional and distinctive with people and their relatives considered at all times. The provider had systems and processes in place to retain oversight of people’s care and ensure high standards were consistently met.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published January 2020)

We received concerns in relation to infection prevention and control measures in place. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service remains good. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm. Please see the safe section of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Goyt Valley Carers on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Goyt Valley Carers is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 28 people in their own homes. The service is based in the rural location of Chinley, in Derbyshire and provides care to people in the surrounding towns and villages.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People told us the way the service was led was exceptional and distinctive. The provider shaped the culture of the service by leading by example and creating an environment where people’s safety, comfort and happiness was prioritised. There were clear and effective governance, management and accountability arrangements in place.

People told us they felt safe with the staff and reassured by their presence. People were consistently safe and protected from abuse and avoidable harm. There were always enough competent staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

Care and support was planned and delivered in line with best practice guidance and legislation. Staff had appropriate training, skills and knowledge to carry out their role effectively. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Without exception, people and relatives told us staff and the provider were kind and caring and went out of their way to make people feel happy and secure. People were supported to develop and maintain their independence and realise their ambitions.

Care was planned and delivered in a person-centred way. The provider took the time to get to know people and their representatives, so they could understand people’s whole life needs and preferences. Staff supported people to maintain relationships with those close to them.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection (and update)

The last rating for this service was Good (published June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

The inspection took place on the 6 and 7 April 2017. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of this inspection, as this is a small service where staff are often out during the day and we needed to make sure that the registered manager would be available to meet us. This was the first inspection since the provider moved address in July 2016. We contacted people by phone on 6 April to discuss their experience of the care they received and we visited the provider’s office on 7 April to speak to staff and view records.

There was a registered manager in post and they were present throughout the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they felt safe with the staff from Goyt Valley Carers. Care plans incorporated risk assessments and risks to people were identified and managed. People were very happy with the staffing arrangements and where possible people had the same carers attending to their needs. We were told carers were on time and received training on using equipment necessary to assist people to mobilise. Medicines were managed safely and staff received the necessary training to assist people with their medicines.

People were full of praise for the staff who cared for them and talked about the professionalism and knowledge of the care staff. Staff were trained to understand the particular health conditions of people and worked closely with the district nurses to ensure consistent care and treatment. Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and ensured decisions were made in people’s best interest and consent was gained for care. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet and where required, nutrition and hydration was monitored to ensure people did not become unwell.

People were extremely positive about the relationships they had with staff. They told us they looked forward to the carer’s visits as they brightened up their day. Staff were described as outstanding, kind and compassionate; and they were respectful and courteous when in people’s homes. People were actively involved in making decisions about their daily lives and the care they required; this enabled them to remain in their own homes and maintain their independence. People were treated with respect and dignity.

People were full of praise for the personalised care they received. They provided many examples of care that they considered to be exceptional. The registered manager and staff team were praised for their knowledge and understanding of people’s needs and their flexibility to respond to emergencies and changing need. People were consulted about the quality of care they received on a regular basis and their views and wishes were sought and respected. Feedback was used to improve the quality of care people experienced. No complaints had been received by the service, people told us they were more than satisfied with the care they received.

The registered manager had an open and inclusive style of management. People, families and staff praised their commitment and attitude and described them as exceptional and excellent. People were full of praise for the level of detail and understanding shown by the registered manager at their initial assessments and care reviews. They told us this continued with the quality of staff who cared for them. Staff felt the registered manager was extremely supportive of their development, which motivated them to want to provide the best care possible for people.