Archived: Abbey (Scunthorpe)

The care files contained a summary of the person's needs, any specific risks, preferences for care, times of calls and the tasks staff were expected to undertake at each call. People we spoke with were happy with the care they received. They said, "The service is pretty good" and "It's very good. We had problems to get consistent carers at the start but I spoke to them and it has improved."

People were very complimentary about the staff. Comments included, "They are absolutely brilliant" and "The girls are local and I have been quite happy with them."

People we spoke with told us that they were regularly consulted about the service provided and that regular spot checks were completed. One person said "We had a spot check a little while ago and they pulled the staff up about recording more detail on the records."

We found that learning from incidents/investigations took place and appropriate changes were implemented. The agency had taken prompt action to address concerns raised by the local authority about medication practices and missed calls.

People spoken with told us they had seen their care plan and the majority were very happy with the care they received. They said, 'The care is first class' and 'Our carer has never let us down." One person told us they had received lots of different carers and they were unhappy about this. Some people also said that some calls had been missed or were late. The interim manager was aware about these issues and had put measures in place to address them.

Most people spoken with thought the staff had the right skills to support them. One person commented that staff turnover had been high and carers were variable depending on experience and motivation. The interim manager told us that several new staff had recently been recruited, new systems had been put in place to address shortfalls and a settled period should follow.

People spoken with confirmed they were asked to complete a questionnaire about the service they received. They also confirmed they were made aware of the complaints process. They told us they felt able to complain and said they would do this by contacting staff at the office or speaking to the manager.