The Care Quality Commission

Archived: Orchard Care Services Limited

Acorn Business Centre, Roberts End, Hanley Swan, Worcestershire, WR8 0DN (01684) 310834

Provided and run by:
Orchard Care Services Limited

All Inspections

31 October 2012

During a routine inspection

We inspected the agency office and spoke on the telephone with four people who used the agency and two relatives. People told us that the staff always respected their privacy and dignity when they assisted with personal care. People told us that the, 'Care is pretty good'. Another person said the staff, 'Are very thoughtful'. People said, 'The staff are very good, I like them' and, 'The carers are good'.

We found that people's care and treatment was not planned and delivered in a way that ensured people's safety and welfare. People were not always receiving care at their preferred call times. People's calls were sometimes being missed.

We found that people who used the agency were protected from the risk of abuse. People who used the agency told us they felt safe when receiving care from staff employed by the agency.

Thorough recruitment procedures were not in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the agency.

We found that systems to assess and monitor the quality of the services provided needed to be put into place. This would ensure people were protected from the risk of inappropriate care and treatment.

16 March 2012

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out this review to check on the care and welfare of people who used this service as they had not been inspected since 2009.

We visited the agency office and met with two members of staff one of whom was the deputy manager. We spoke on the telephone with staff who worked for the agency and people that used the agency. This included relatives of people who used the service. We talked to two people about their experience of the care and service they received. People told us the agency staff were 'very good', 'always helpful and cheerful', and were 'lovely people'.

None of the people whose care we pathway tracked were able to speak with us on the telephone about the service they received due to their dementia related illness. We spoke with relatives who told us they were 'very satisfied with the service'. The 'carer is very efficient'. The care worker 'is prompt, does the job, copes very well indeed' and is 'very caring'. 'Changes have been made to the agency and things seem to be running smoother now'. We saw where a relative had commented that the care worker was 'great and I am very happy to leave XXX (person's name) in their care'.

We pathway tracked the care for three people and looked at how their care was provided and managed. We talked with care staff who demonstrated they were aware of people's care and support needs. Staff said they were trained to help them understand how to meet people's needs and give the support people needed. We found that people received effective and appropriate care, treatment and support to meet their personal needs.

Orchard Care Services had changed ownership earlier this year and was now owned as a subsidiary of Real Life Options. The agency had a new manager who was unavailable at the time of the inspection visit.

We looked at how the service had been assessed and the quality of the service monitored. We found that auditing and monitoring systems were in place to assess that the care, treatment and support given was appropriate. The deputy manager told us that improvements were being made to all systems and procedures to make sure the service managed all risks more effectively.