Archived: Home Instead Senior Care

During this inspection we visited two people in their home whilst they were receiving care. We also spoke with two people and three family members by telephone. We were also able to speak with two directors of the provider, the care manager and five support workers. We looked at four people's care records and four staff records. Other records we reviewed included medication, staff training and quality and monitoring records.

Is the service safe?

People told us they felt safe and trusted the staff. One person told us, "I trust my carer she always treats me well.' Staff received training in safeguarding people from abuse and were aware of how to raise an alert if required.

Staff received the training they needed to carry out their roles safely. We saw staff had been trained to administer medication and we checked records and found that people were given the correct medicines in a timely way. Care records were regularly updated to ensure people received the care they needed to keep them safe. The service worked with other healthcare professionals when they were concerned about someone's safety.

Is the service effective?

People's health and care needs were assessed in consultation with either the person themselves or relatives. People's care plans reflected their healthcare needs and the service worked in conjunction with support from outside professionals to meet people's needs. People who use the service and their relatives told us staff were always on time. People we spoke with told us they had never been let down by the service.

Is the service caring?

People were supported by staff who were kind, caring and respectful. Care workers supported people with patience and genuine affection, assisting people who required additional support in a dignified manner. We noted care workers liaised with people and their representatives to ensure care was provided in a caring individualised way. One relative we spoke with by telephone told us "we were consulted over every matter."

Is the service responsive?

People's care records showed that where concerns about an individual's wellbeing had been identified, staff had taken appropriate action to ensure people were provided with the support they needed. This included seeking support and guidance from other health care professionals when required. We saw staff responded positively to comments made in annual surveys they sent out. Feedback we read was all positive.

Is the service well led?

The service had a quality assurance system in place and we saw the manager monitored the quality of the service closely by carrying out spot checks and by contacting people who used the service and their representatives. Staff we spoke with were positive about the leadership of the service and said they felt well supported. People who used the service and their relatives were positive about the leadership of the service.

We spoke with an occupational therapist, who had several people she supported who used the agency. She said that the agency communicated well with her, keeping her up to- date with any changes in people's care both verbally and in writing.

People we spoke with felt safe with their care workers. One relative said, 'I feel safe now my mum has her care worker, before I used to worry all the time something would happen.' Another said, 'my mum felt very safe with her workers, they never rushed her and chatted all the time so never got anxious.'

New staff were interviewed to ensure that they were appropriate, fit and suitable for the job. People and relatives spoke highly of the staff at the agency. One person said, 'my care worker is first rate."

The manager informed us that the quality of the care provided was carefully monitored by the management team to ensure that staff provided a high quality service.

Staff we spoke with were aware of the importance of treating people with respect and dignity regardless of their diverse backgrounds. They were also able to give us examples of how they would ensure people's privacy were protected while providing personal care.

People had been assessed prior to care being provided. Risk assessments and care plans were in place. People informed us that their care had been reviewed. They indicated that staff were able to meet their needs and did what was expected of them. Staff informed us that they had been provided with support and essential training to enable them to do their jobs well.

People who use the service indicated that the agency had consulted with them and kept them informed of changes affecting their care. The agency had arrangements in place for quality assurance. A recent survey carried out indicated that people and their representatives were satisfied with the quality of services provided.