Archived: Blue Diamond Care

Blue Diamond Care are registered to provide personal care. They provide care to people who live in their own homes within the community. There were 11 people using this service at the time of our inspection.

There was a registered manager in post who was 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 that staff kept them safe in their own homes and that they received care from staff who protected them from the risk of potential abuse. Risks relating to people’s care needs had been assessed; however risk management plans did not always contain clear guidance for staff to follow.

There were sufficient numbers of reliable and consistent staff employed to provide people’s care. Recruitment checks ensured that people were protected from the risk of being cared for by unsuitable staff. People who received support with their medicines were satisfied but improvement was needed to ensure this was done safely in line with safe medicine guidance.

Staff advised us that they had the knowledge and skills required to undertake their roles. Staff described how they felt well supported. The registered manager undertook observation checks to monitor and assess how the knowledge and skills gained by staff were being put into practice. Staff had a good understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and what this meant for people. People were supported to eat and drink well and maintain their health care needs.

Positive and complimentary comments were received from people about the staff that supported them which described how staff treated them with dignity and respect. People were supported to make their own decisions about how they wanted their care provided.

People were happy that their care needs were met by staff they knew well. Staff understood people’s individual preferences and responded appropriately when people’s needs changed. People knew and felt empowered to express any concerns or complaints they felt about the service.

People and staff told us that the registered manager was approachable and extremely supportive. People were encouraged to express their opinions about the quality of the service they received. There were some systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided and this was an area that the registered manager told us they were focusing on developing and improving.

People and their relatives were very complimentary about the care staff who provided care and support. Comments included, 'They have transformed my mom's life, she is so much better than she was' and 'Staff are pleasant and cheerful, they do a fantastic job, I can't praise them enough.'

We examined care plans and found that people's needs were properly assessed and that care and support was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plans. People who used the service had given their consent and were consulted about the care and support they received.

We found that people were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent it from happening.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. We found that internal audits had been conducted by the manager which included audits of care plans, medication and risk assessments.

We concluded that Blue Diamond Care Agency was a well managed Domiciliary Care Agency which provided a safe, reliable and effective service.