Archived: Sterling Care Partners Ltd

At the time of our inspection 35 people were receiving care in their own homes. Not everyone using this service received a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

This inspection took place on the 22 and 23 August 2018 and was announced. We gave the service notice two day's notice of the inspection site visit because we needed to be sure that people who wanted to speak to us and management were available during the inspection.

People told us they felt safe when care workers visited their homes. One person said, "I know I can trust them." Another person said, " Staff are all very good at what they do which makes me feel safe."

Everyone we spoke with told us the staff were kind, caring and friendly, and treated them with dignity and respect at all times. They told us staff knew them well and provided their care in the way they wanted. People's privacy was respected. Everyone was supported to be as independent as they wanted to be. One person said, "They go above and beyond. They will always do anything that needs to be done."

There were enough staff available to give people the support they needed, when they needed it. People described the service as reliable and flexible. One person told us, "They always arrive when expected and if they are going to be late which is rare they will let me know." Another person said, "They always stay the time I have paid for." Staff told us they were always given sufficient time to travel between visits.

Staff were supported to meet people's needs and had completed the training they needed to fulfil their role. Checks were completed to make sure training had been effective and staff were competent.

The service promoted a culture of openness and being accessible to people who used the service. People told us they felt comfortable and confident that they could contact the management team and discuss any matters of concern. One person said, "There is always someone available to talk to if you wanted and they listen."

Staff felt supported by the registered manager and management team. They were motivated about their roles and shared the provider's vision of a good quality service. An experienced member of staff was always available to provide the support and guidance staff needed, including outside of office hours. Records in respect of each person were accurate and complete and stored securely.

The service had received a number of compliments about the quality of the service:

"Sterling Care provided excellent care with a friendly and caring approach."

"Sterling Care have given excellent, reliable care and support. They arrive on time and nothing is too much trouble carrying out tasks in a caring, friendly and cheerful manner."

"I would definitely recommend Sterling Care as the best choice in Yeovil."

The last inspection of the service was carried out on 25 February 2014. No concerns were identified with the care being provided to people at that inspection.

Sterling Care provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of this inspection the agency was providing support with personal care to 34 people.

There is a registered manager in post. 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 and their relatives were very complimentary about the quality of the service provided and of the management and staff team. They felt the care was exceptionally good. One person told us ““They are marvellous. I would recommend them to anyone. They are the best. The girls are lovely. You get a smiling face. When they leave I am better than when they arrived. I know exactly where I am. They arrive within ten minutes and do everything I need. ” A professional described the service as “A very good service providing “above and beyond” support especially to people with dementia.”

People said how well they had been supported when they had been ill. Relatives felt they had been exceptionally well supported when their relative had been at the end of their life.

People had consistent staff that they were able to build trusting relationships with. This ensured people received care from a small number of staff who they got to know well. This aspect of the service was very much valued by people.

Care was planned and delivered in a way that was personalised to each person. Staff monitored people’s healthcare needs and, where changes in needs were identified, care was adjusted to make sure people continued to receive care which met their needs and supported their independence.

The agency had a robust recruitment procedure that ensured staff were thoroughly checked before they began work. Staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse and all said they were confident that any issues raised would be appropriately addressed by the registered manager. People felt safe with the staff who supported them.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and plan on-going improvements. People using the service and staff felt involved and able to make suggestions or raise concerns.

We found from speaking with the registered manager and our review of care records that person centred assessments of need were carried out and detailed care plans were agreed with people and their representatives. We found that care staff knew about the needs of people and followed the care plans. We found that the service was arranged to allow consistency and reliability and that agency considered how people were matched with staff. We saw that where people had particular conditions or illnesses that the staff were given right information about what to look out for and how to provide the care. One relative told us that the agency had provided a flexible service to meet the needs of their family member and that they had also felt supported.

People were safeguarded as staff understood how to spot signs of abuse or neglect and who to contact if they had concerns. We found that staff were trained and supported to provide a competent service.

We saw evidence that the agency monitored and checked the quality and safety of the service. They sought feedback from people and their representatives about the standards.