Exodus Homecare Agency Also known as Exodus Homecare Agency Ltd

Exodus Homecare Agency is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care in people’s 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.

At the time of the inspection the agency was providing a service to five younger and older adults some of whom were living with dementia and some who had a disability.

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

We found that the not all staff recruitment was undertaken in a robust manner because the provider allowed staff to work prior to references being received. However, all other recruitment checks were undertaken. At the time of our inspection the provider had a limited team of care workers, however care calls were met because the nominated individual worked with people in their homes.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice. Most people using the service had capacity and had consented to their care and treatment. However, we found one instance where the provider was not working in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People and their relatives spoke very positively about the care they received. They told us staff were very “kind” and “caring”. People’s communication support needs were recorded to ensure they could make informed choices.

People had person centred care plans that specified how they wanted their care provided. Care plans were reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they were still relevant to the person.

People using the service and their relatives felt safe. The registered manager assessed people prior to offering a placement and put in measures to address any risks to the person.

Staff supported people to have choice and control of their lives and respected their dignity and privacy; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

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

Why we inspected

This service had been dormant. This meant they had not been providing care to anyone. Therefore, this is the first inspection under our new methodology ratings.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for 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.

People were positive about the care and support they received from their care workers. Their comments included, 'it's a very good service. They always come when I need them, they're fantastic' and 'so far the carers have been excellent, they are always on time.'

Care records were drawn up and reviewed with people using the service or their relatives. Care plans were up to date and appropriately addressed people's needs. People told us they received the care that was agreed in their care plan.

The agency had arrangements in place to make sure that people using the service were cared for safely. Staff completed the training they needed to care for people effectively. Appropriate checks were carried out before care staff started to work with people using the service.

The provider had arrangements in place to respond to complaints received. People using the service told us they had been told how to make a complaint but this had never been necessary.