Archived: Careplus - Clevedon

People were treated with dignity and respect. They told us that the care workers stayed for the agreed length of time. People commented, for example, 'they always stay to make sure everything is alright' and 'we have a very good relationship with the carers'. However, not everyone was happy with the timing of their visits. We also heard that the punctuality of care workers could be a problem, which meant that people's needs were not met in a timely way.

People were mostly satisfied with the care and the service they received. People had individual plans which set out the care that had been agreed. For some people this included support received with their medication. We found that there was a risk to people's health and wellbeing because of a lack of accurate records about the medication they received.

Staff received training and support which helped to ensure that care was provided in an effective way. People who used the service had opportunities to give their feedback about the quality of support they received. However we found that regular audits in relation to quality assurance were not taking place, which meant that aspects of the service were not being well monitored and improvements made where necessary.

People experienced care and support which was planned around their individual needs. People told us they were involved in making decisions about how they were going to be supported to have their care needs met.

People told us that the service listened to them and they knew who to speak to if they had any concerns. People told us they liked the staff who came to their home and described having a good relationship with them. A few people said they were disappointed their usual care workers had been changed because of an organisational decision to make the service more efficient. The service had sent a letter to people explaining the reasons for the changes.

Staff received training and guidance which helped ensure they supported people safely. When people told us about the staff, their comments included 'staff are fine" and 'The carers seem all very good.' Staff said they felt supported by the managers.

The records held by the service in their offices and people's own home were kept up to date. The staff recruitment process did not ask potential staff on their fitness to do the job, this was a legal requirement.

Having assessed the available evidence, we considered the agency showed how it met the care and welfare needs of the people using the service.