Archived: Premier Care Dorset Limited

Premier Care Dorset Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of this inspection the service was providing a total of 540 hours of care and support per week to people.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We saw, and people told us, they received care from staff who knew their needs well, arrived on time and ensured that they felt safe and well cared for.

People were supported by staff who provided flexible, responsive care.

Staff recruitment checks ensured staff were suitable to work with people in a care setting. Staff induction, on-going training and support enabled them to carry out their roles effectively.

We have made a recommendation about how references from previous employers are requested and recorded.

People told us they felt listened to and consulted when planning and agreeing what care and support they needed.

People were supported to access appropriate healthcare where necessary to maintain their health and wellbeing. Where needed, people received their medication as prescribed.

We have made a recommendation about some of the records that are kept regarding the management of medicines.

Risks to people were assessed and regularly reviewed. Staff understood the actions needed to minimise the risk of avoidable harm including the prevention of avoidable infections.

People knew how to make a complaint and felt confident they would be listened to if they needed to raise any concerns.

People and staff felt the service was well led. Satisfactory systems for oversight of the service were in place.

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.

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 22 November 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

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.

Premier Care Dorset provides personal care to people living in Ferndown, Wimborne and surrounding areas. At the time of this inspection they were providing personal care for 105 people, and a respite sitting service for 69 people. They also provided a domestic service to people living in their own homes.

The last inspection of the service was carried out in September 2013. No concerns were identified with the care being provided to people at that inspection.

There is a registered manager in post. 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.

People were protected from abuse because the provider had systems in place to ensure checks of new staffs characters and suitability to work with vulnerable adults were carried out. Staff had also received training in protecting vulnerable people from abuse. People said they felt safe when being cared for; we observed people were happy and relaxed with care workers during our home visits.

The service had a complaints policy and procedure that was included in people’s care plans in large print. People said they were aware of the procedure and had numbers they could ring. People and staff spoken with said they felt confident they could raise concerns with the registered manager and senior staff. Records showed the service responded to concerns and complaints and learnt from the issues raised.

People who received personal care and support from Premier Care Dorset told us they were happy with the service provided. They said the registered manager and staff were open and approachable, cared about their personal preferences and kept them involved in decision making around their care. One relative said, “I am always informed of anything which might crop up out of the ordinary, or if [the person] needs to be seen by a medical person. They are right on it and get in touch with the doctor if needed. This means a lot to me since I am not there all the time.”

People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had a clear knowledge and understanding of their personal needs, likes and dislikes. We observed staff took time to talk with people during our home visits. However people had mixed opinions about the consistency of the staff team visiting them. Most people said they had a regular team of staff who they knew and had built relationships with, whilst others said they had met a number of different staff members; however they were happy with this as they said they liked different people to talk to. The registered manager confirmed a successful staff recruitment programme meant they were now able to provide people with a more consistent team of staff.

People’s care needs were recorded and reviewed regularly, with, senior care workers and the person receiving the care or a relevant representative. All care plans included written consent to the care provided. Care workers had comprehensive information and guidance in care plans to enable them to deliver consistent care the way people preferred. One person’s care plan clearly showed how they liked their care provided and the exact routine they liked to follow.

Staff monitored people’s health with their consent and could refer and direct to healthcare professionals as appropriate. Support was provided for people to attend hospital and doctor appointments.

There were systems in place to monitor the care provided and people’s views and opinions were sought through care reviews and an annual survey. Suggestions for change were listened to and actions taken where possible to improve the service provided. All incidents and accidents were monitored, trends identified and learning shared with staff to put into practice.

The registered manager had a clear vision for the service. Their statement of purpose said, “The agency aims to provide our clients with a comprehensive service of care, promoting independence and ensuring them the highest quality of life within their home environment.” The registered manager explained that they respected and supported their staff as well, “as happier staff work well.” Staff could be seen supporting this philosophy and approach whilst providing care and support to people living in their own homes.

People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines. One person told us, 'They prompt me every time it's due (their medicine).'

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. One member of staff told us, 'I saw from the rota that there was a new piece of equipment that I had no experience of. I phoned out of hours and the senior carer met me on the Monday morning with the client and I was shown how to use it.'

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. One person told us, 'The team leaders came to check if things were ok. They asked me, are you happy with the carers? Do you think you get the best service? I am happy with everything.'

The two people who received care told us staff were very polite, patient and accommodating and maintained privacy and dignity. They told us that they felt safe and at ease with the care workers and their home was respected.

We were told they had a care plan and were involved in planning their care with the staff and had been provided with information leaflets on the service. One person told us 'I am very happy, nothing is too much trouble.'

We found that people were cared for by sufficient numbers of staff that were appropriately trained; supervised and regular 'spot checks' were in place on the quality of care provided by staff.

Systems were in place to obtain feedback on the service, to monitor the quality of service and to respond where improvements were needed.