We carried out a review of the data available to us about Betamindes Limited on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Betamindes Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Betamindes is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. They were providing a service to 59 people at the time of our inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
During the last inspection we highlighted improvements were required to the robustness of records to evidence compliance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). At this inspection we found people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were supported by regular staff that had been safely recruited and had received a thorough induction and training appropriate for their role. There were enough staff employed to meet people’s individual needs. People told us they had developed positive relationships with the staff that supported them.
People’s needs were fully assessed before they were supported by the service. Each person had a care plan that reflected their individual needs, choices and routines. Care plans held enough information to inform staff about how to best meet people’s needs. Care plans were regularly reviewed and were updated as people’s needs changed.
Medication was managed safely by trained and competent staff. Medication administration records (MARs) were fully completed and regularly reviewed. Policies and procedures, as well as best practice guidance were available to staff. Staff had completed infection control training and followed best practice to minimise the risk of infection being spread.
People’s privacy and dignity was respected, and their independence was promoted wherever possible. People spoke positively about the service and staff that supported them. There were audit systems in place that were fully completed and used to improve and develop the service.
People were protected from the risk of abuse. Safeguarding policies and procedures were in place and staff had received training on how to keep people safe. Staff told us they felt confident any concerns they raised would be promptly addressed.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 5 January 2017)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Betamindes is a domiciliary care agency which is registered to provide personal care to adults who live in their own homes. The registered manager is also the owner and director of the company, along with another owner/director. At the time of the inspection, there were 50 adults in receipt of personal care.
There was a registered manager in place. 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.
We found that people were very positive and complimentary about the service they received. People using the service told us they felt safe and the relatives we spoke with also agreed people were safe. We found that people were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. All staff spoken with had a good understanding of safeguarding, the signs of abuse, and how to report it. Although two staff were unsure where they could report concerns to outside of their organisation. We found that the service had a safeguarding policy in place we saw that the registered manager had reported safeguarding concerns appropriately as per local procedures.
There were sufficient staff to meet the needs of people receiving a service. The service was recruiting new staff. People told us that staff always arrived on time and calls were not missed
People’s medicines were administered safely. However we found that staff’s competency to administer medication was not always recorded robustly. The service had implemented a new staff coordinator role and her focus was on the development of training and induction. Staff told us that they had undergone an induction and shadowed experience staff when they started work at the service. Staff also undertook refresher training in subjects that the service identified as mandatory as well as in others topics such as health conditions.
We found that staff had some awareness of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Staff sought consent from people prior to undertaking any care. The service took people’s mental capacity in account when making decisions about their care and treatment. However we found that the records which demonstrated that mental capacity assessments and best interest decisions had been carried out were not always robust enough.
Staff were kind, caring and compassionate. People told us that staff treated them with dignity and respect. We found that staff had developed effective caring relationships with people.
Care plans were in place. They provided sufficient details and were regularly reviewed and updated. The care plans and risk assessments provided sufficient information to enable staff to meet their care needs. Some were detailed and included people’s preferences and choices, whilst others would benefit form more person canted information. We found that people were supported to maintain as much independence as possible. People told us that the service was very flexible and accommodated any changes to people’s needs.
People had access to the complaints procedure and told us that they knew how to make a complaint should they need to. We found that the management team had regular contact with people and dealt with any issues and concerns as they arose.
People using the service and staff told us that the service was well led. People found that the registered manager and management team were very approachable and responsive. The registered manager had already identified areas for improvement within the service. Changes to the management structure and the development of new roles was underway. There were some quality assurance systems in place and we spoke with the registered manager about developing these further. There were systems in place to monitor the care provided and people's views and opinions were sought regularly about the quality of the service.
When we asked people about the care they received from Betamindes Limited they told us 'The staff are extremely good. They do what I want and they know what I want. They never miss anything and if I need any extra it can be arranged. I would be very upset if for any reason I lost the service'.
We looked at the arrangements for the management of medicines and found that these were appropriate for the level and type of care being provided by Betamindes Limited. Because the people who used the service lived in their own homes, we checked that Betamindes cooperated with other agencies which might be visiting the same people and found that this was the case.
We checked that there were sufficient numbers of staff employed at the Betamindes Limited so as to ensure adequate levels of care. We found that the provider was able to cover staff absences from the existing staff team and so usually managed to preserve continuity of care for people from the same staff member.
We looked at the records kept by the provider and found that that care records were updated. However Betamindes was not able to provide us with other records which we required them to produce.
We also talked to two relatives of people who use the service. They told us that the service provided by Betamindes was reliable and that they would 'never let you down'. People complimented the staff on their maturity and ability to communicate 'They don't talk down to my father ' they talk to him'. The positive relationship between Betamindes home carers and people who used the service was described to us on several occasions 'They all communicate'.
All the people we spoke to found Betamindes to be approachable 'You can walk in to the Office and talk to them at any time'. People who use the service, their relatives and the staff all had positive relationships with the Agency and expressed confidence in its management 'Dawne (Manager/Director) is always very willing to talk or to chat things through'. 'If something needs changing I have a quick word with Dawne.' 'Dawne, Ian (Director) and Elaine always answer the phone very quickly and activate what you want.'
We spoke to someone else who said that their relative had responded well to the care and this was because of the good relationship they had with the care workers.
We were told that the service has 'jolly good carers'. The same person told us that the provider had 'a good reputation', that the care workers were 'fantastic' and that 'the service couldn't be faulted'. We were also told that the care workers usually turned up on time and that when there were unavoidable delays the client was contacted. Another person told us they had not received a late visit all year.
We were told by another person that they were 'delighted with them' and that the staff were pleasant and more personal than another provider that they named. This person also told us that the provider was responsive to changes in their needs. We were told by someone else that they had been available to provide care at short notice.
We asked three people whether they would be confident to raise issues of safety with the provider. They all said they would and two of the people said they knew they would get a good response.
We spoke to a carer for a person who uses the service. They told us that the provider had visited to discuss the service that was provided and to check that everything was alright.