Our current view of the service
Updated
10 March 2025
Date of assessment 1 to 16 April 2025. The service is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of inspection there were 100 adults and 2 children using the service.
The provider had systems and processes in place to assess, monitor and improve the safety and quality of the service. People received their planned care at the times agreed, from a regular staff team.
People’s risks were assessed and care plans provided staff with the information they needed to mitigate known risks. People’s care plans were revied regularly or as their needs changed.
There were enough trained staff deployed to meet people’s needs. The provider regularly checked staff practice and competencies and ensured staff were supported through regular supervision. Staff were recruited using safe recruitment practices.
Staff knew how to seek medical assistance in emergencies and kept people’s families informed. Staff followed infection prevention and control practices.
Staff understood how to recognise, and report concerns and the provider had systems in place to report safeguarding issues and carry out any relevant investigations. Staff were encouraged to speak up if they had any concerns about how the service was run. The provider used any incidents and complaints to learn from and improve the service.
People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff sought people’s consent before providing care and encouraged people to maintain their independence.
The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulations in relation to assessing, monitoring and mitigating risks and governance, at this inspection the provider had made significant improvements and was no longer in breach of these regulations.
People's experience of the service
Updated
10 March 2025
People told us staff were kind, caring and compassionate. A person told us, “[Staff] are so caring, ever so nice. On my birthday [staff] came in with a bunch of flowers and two glasses that are easy to hold.” Another person said, “When I open the door, they greet me, tell me who they are, where they are from. The have jokes, they are very good.” A relative told us, “I feel we are very lucky. [Staff] work hard, always smiling, they know what they are doing and I have confidence in them. They are all very kind and caring.”
People received their planned care at regular times and most of the time from staff they knew. A relative told us, “We keep the same [staff] because [Name] has dementia.” A person told us they liked to have an early call the day they have appointments, they said, “That’s why I like them to be in and gone by 7 a.m. and I can get to the appointment later that morning.”
Staff followed infection control guidance. A person told us, “[Staff] always wear their gloves. The only time they don’t is when they give me my dinner. They wash their hands.”
People told us staff were trained to provide their care. A person told us, “[Staff] do all my medication, they put them in an egg cup and I take them. No mishaps.” A relative told us, “[Name] has a hoist. It’s going alright, quite happy with [staff], the [staff] that come in are really good with [Name].”
People’s care was assessed and reviewed regularly or as their needs changed. A person told us, “[Staff] assess the care plan with me, they chat about what is going on, every 6 or 12 months.”
Staff treated people with respect and asked for people’s consent before providing care. A relative said staff were respectful and called the person by their preferred name, they said, “[Name] told them to call them by their middle name. They do call them [that]. I think they are doing a good job.” Another relative told us, “[Staff] talk to [Name] and ask their permission.”
People were able to maintain their independence. A person told us, “[Staff] offer to help, if I say I can do it on my own, they respect my space and let me get on with it.” Staff assisted people to remain independent, for example, a person who books their own GP appointments said, “I can do that myself. I have to fill a form in on my tablet and [staff] helped me with that.”
People and relatives told us the provider was responsive to feedback, a relative said, “[The manager] listen, they seem to take things on board. I don’t have to contact them often.” A person told us, “They are not bad. When they changed my [staff], I rang up and it went back to normal.”
The provider carried out checks to ensure people were receiving a good service. A person told us, “For me, it’s the consistency of support that they give me.” Another person told us, “The supervisor comes personally and sits down with me and discusses with me. They tell me what happens, asks questions about the [staff] and how they conduct themselves with me. They ask for suggestions how they can improve the service for me.”