The Care Quality Commission
  • Services in your home
  • Homecare service

Archived: Somerset Care Community (Torbay)

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

1-5 Parkfield House, Teignmouth Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 4EX (01803) 313079

Provided and run by:
Somerset Care Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See old profile
Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

29 and 30 July 2014

During a routine inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

The inspection was announced forty eight hours in advance. This was because we wanted to arrange to visit some people who received the service to obtain their feedback. Somerset Care Community (Torbay) (referred to by name or as ‘the service’) was last inspected on the 20 and 27 November 2013. We had no concerns about the service at this time.

Somerset Care Community (Torbay) provides care in people’s homes. At the time of the inspection they were providing personal care to 158 people and employed 69 staff to carry out this work. People were provided with both short term or longer term care.

There was a registered manager in place.  A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

People told us they felt safe in respect of the care provided. Staff were trained in safeguarding people they were caring for and demonstrated they understood this. However, people told us they wanted to know who was coming into their home and that their care would be provided at a time that was right for them. People told us they felt unsafe and uncomfortable in their own home not knowing this. People expressed concerns about the weekends in addition to the weekdays.

People told us they felt the care they received was caring. People told us staff treated them with dignity and respect. However, people also told us they were concerned about not having continuity of carers. Also, the times of care were not always at the times they desired or could change without consultation

We found the provider did not have a system in place to ensure the safe administration of medicines. People were potentially at risk as a result. People told us that when staff were late they either had to take their medicine themselves or their routine was affected.

People told us they were asked their opinion of the service but did not always feel this was listened to or accommodated.

The service had a clear structure of governance in place. The registered manager had not been in their role for long and the organisation had undergone a restructure.

We found a number of breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.

20, 27 November 2013

During a routine inspection

People we spoke with told us they felt that care workers treated them with respect, listened to them and respected their privacy and dignity. Comments included 'they're all very kind and caring' and 'they respect me in my home'.

People who used the service and their relatives told us they were very happy with the care they received. They said 'I've always been satisfied' and 'they come out four times a day and they're absolutely wonderful, I had a lovely shower this morning'. We found the care plans contained enough detail so care workers knew how to meet people's needs.

We spoke with care workers who were able to tell us how they met people's care needs. We found that care workers received appropriate training and professional development so they could carry out their job role effectively. Staff knew how to report concerns to ensure people were protected from the risk of harm.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. People were asked to give their views about the care and support they received. People told us 'I have no complaints' and 'if we raise anything, they have always attended to it'.

16, 17 January 2013

During a routine inspection

People who used the service or people acting on their behalf were able to make choices and decisions in relation to their care planning. Each person who used the service had a care plan which included detailed information for staff to follow. This meant staff knew how to meet people's needs and preferences. One person said 'they talk to me as they do things, they tell me what they're doing, and they make sure I'm comfortable'.

People who used the service told us they were happy with the way staff supported them to take their medication. All staff had completed medication training, and had clear policies to follow to make sure people were protected.

Recruitment checks and training had been undertaken before staff began work to ensure people were supported by appropriate staff. People told us 'staff are all competent'.

People we spoke with and their relatives told us they would know how to raise concerns and felt happy to do so. The service had an effective complaints system.

Most records contained a good level of detail and were up-to-date. However, the provider may find it useful to note that on several occasions staff had recorded that they had administered medication on the daily records instead of the Medication Administration Record sheets. This means it was not easy to see that people were getting their medication.