Archived: Campbells Private Home Care

At the time of our inspection a new office had been built to accommodate the service administration. Some documents were in boxes ready to be transferred to the office and some were already in the office. Due to the difficulty in accessing information some documentation was sent to us following the inspection.

Although people told us they felt safe using the service, we found a number of concerns related to the policies and practice of staff. The provider’s policy on medicines stated staff did not administer any medicines. However, documents reflected staff were applying prescribed creams and lotions which were classified as topical medicines to people. They had not received training. The registered manager failed to recognise this fell into the category of medicines. This placed people at risk of harm or injury as staff had not been trained to apply topical medicines.

Recruitment practices were not always robust and did not always offer security to people that the staff employed to care for them had been checked thoroughly. We have made a recommendation that the provider seeks guidance on safe recruitment practice.

Staff knew how to identify and report safeguarding concerns. We were told there had been no safeguarding concerns in the service.

We have recommended to the provider they put systems in place to respond in a timely way to telephone calls for support from staff. Without this people or staff were placed at risk.

We have made a recommendation to the provider they identify training for staff in relation to the specialist needs of people using the service. Staff training was not kept up to date and monitored. The policy reflected inaccurate information related to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and its expectations.

Staff were not able to explain how the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) affected their roles. We have recommended the service seeks training for staff in this area.

Staff were described as kind and caring. They had built relationships with the people they cared for and people spoke positively about them and their skills. Staff knew how to treat people with respect and protected their dignity.

People had been consulted as part of the care planning process and had given consent to the care being provided.

Information held in people’s care plans and risk assessments was not always accurate or up to date. Although this information was updated and sent to us following the inspection, we found that people did not always have a copy of the care plan in their home. Without appropriate documentation, guidance and information on how to manage risks and carry out care safely, people were placed at risk of harm.

People and relatives spoke positively about the service they received and felt it was well managed.

We had concerns about how the service was managed. We made a recommendation to the provider to seek advice about policy writing. This was because information in the whistleblowing policy was not clear for staff to follow or understand.

There were no comprehensive audits undertaken to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided except in one area, Health and Safety. Actions recommended as a result of this had not all been actioned 12 months after the audit had taken place. Without audits and quality assurance systems in place the registered manager would not be aware of all the issues related to the service and could not drive forward improvements or ensure its safety.

We found a number of breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report

A person and two relatives told us that people's privacy and dignity were respected.

A person told us that their carer had 'always helped me - it's been wonderful'.

Relatives and a person told us that the service supported their safety.

A relative described carers as 'lovely people. It's like having a family member.'

The provider had a system for assuring service quality.

People's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. All comments and assessments of the quality of service were positive. 'Communication is good' one person said, whilst another told us the care staff 'were like part of the family'.

People who use the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening. We spoke with people about the care and support they received. They told us they felt safe and confident with their care workers.

The people we spoke with described the staff members as "very good", "the staff who helps me understands me very well and is very well trained". People we spoke with said they had no reason to make a complaint, and were very happy with the service they received from the manager and staff.