All inspections: Othen Care Limited - Care Quality Commission

We found that staff consulted with people who used the service or their advocates in order to gain their consent. People's health and welfare needs were being met and they were happy with the support provided. We found the management of medicines to be safe and appropriate to people's needs.

We looked at the agency's recruitment procedures and found that they required improvement in relation to obtaining references and ensuring appropriate checks were carried out prior to staff starting to support people who used the service.

We saw that the quality of the service was being monitored and systems were in place to manage risks to people's health, welfare and safety.

In this report the name of a registered manager appears who was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at this location at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still a registered manager on our register at the time.

We visited four people and spoke with relatives of two people. All described positive and enjoyable working relationships with the staff who visited them. One person told us 'Three staff come regularly and two others fill in the gaps, so they know my (relative) really well. The good thing is they maintain conversation, which gives quality of life.' Another person said 'It's more than just caring, they know me and what I need. I've never had any concerns about their attitudes.'

People told us staff arrived on time and stayed for the contracted time. One person said 'They invariably let us know if they've been delayed.' Another person said 'The service is more than we expected, if they finish early they always ask what else there is to do. They've even stayed later if needed, to ensure (my relative) eats.'

All people said they had agreed the contents of their care plans. These had specific guidance about respecting people's preferences. A person we visited said 'Staff know that off by heart.' Care records showed people received the care they had agreed. A care worker told us they 'couldn't work without the care plans.'

A person's relative told us 'Sometimes (my relative) shouts or loses their temper. The staff understand this is part of their condition. They've eased my feelings about this.' Staff knew how to recognise and raise concerns.

Management had effective ways of gathering information about how the service was delivered and how people experienced it.

We received information suggesting staff of the agency might not be suitably trained or supervised, resulting in unsafe care for people receiving a service. We looked at how the service was meeting a person's complex needs by provision of regular visits by two care workers. The person's family carer told us the care workers had received professional training at their home. They said the care workers worked in partnership with them. They had seen the person benefit from a consistent group of staff, who were well supported. They had confidence in the agency and its staff.

We spoke to three care workers, two of whom were recruited within the previous seven months, and a care coordinator. Their descriptions of induction, training and supervision indicated an organisation that values and supports its employees.

Archived: Othen Care Limited

All Inspections

19 February 2014

During a routine inspection

12 March 2013

During a routine inspection

7 June 2011

During an inspection in response to concerns