Jean Allen Care Services Limited t/a Home Instead

Jean Allen Care Service Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection there were 49 people who used the service that received personal care.

Jean Allen Care Service Limited is part of the Home Instead Senior Care franchise which delivers care and support to people within the United Kingdom and in several countries across the world.

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

People using the service received exceptional care from a well led service. People shared numerous examples of how the staff had developed caring relationships with them and their families. They described being consistently provided with high-quality care that met and exceeded their individual needs, expectations, and positively impacted on their well-being and happiness.

Relatives and professionals involved with the service were equally complimentary in describing dedicated, kind and compassionate staff, who were thoughtful and respectful in their approach which enhanced people’s daily lives. Everybody we spoke with described an open culture in which they felt respected and listened to and said that they would highly recommend the service.

The leadership of the service continued to be outstanding. People, staff, relatives and external professionals were extremely confident in the management of the service. The registered manager, supported by their senior management team, had established a person-centered ethos amongst the workforce, that consistently delivered quality care.

Morale was high in the service. Staff were extremely motivated and passionate about their role and clear on their responsibilities. They were respected, and their achievements were recognised and rewarded. Teamwork was evident with staff working closely together in delivering the values of the service.

Effective quality assurance systems had sustained continual development and improvement in the service leading to positive outcomes for people. Feedback on the service was actively encouraged and used to enhance the service.

There were enough safely recruited and trained staff to meet people’s needs in a timely and appropriate manner. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s risks and how to care for them safely. They had a good knowledge of safeguarding practices helping to protect people from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm.

People were respected by staff who understood the importance of promoting people’s dignity, wellbeing and encouraging them to be as independent as possible. Staff were skilled in communicating and understanding the needs of the people who used the service.

People received their medicines safely and in line with good practice. Their health and nutritional needs were met.

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.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (report published 10 April 2017.)

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.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Home Instead Senior Care is a domiciliary care provider based in Frinton-On-Sea, providing services within this locality and nearby areas. The service is part of a franchise that delivers care to people in many areas of the United Kingdom. They provide a variety of care and support to people in their own homes, including supporting people with personal care needs, shopping, cooking, and companionship.

The service has 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.

During this inspection the service has been rated as Good, with some outstanding features and has an overall rating of Good.

People using the service could be assured that staff had been through a rigorous employment process and had been safely recruited. People using the service could be confident that staff had been trained to meet their needs in a timely way. Comprehensive risk assessments clearly identified to staff how to manage people’s risks whilst promoting choice and independence.

Good quality assurance systems were in place to ensure that staff adhered to excellent care practices, such as spot checks, care note audits, satisfaction surveys and care reviews.

People who used the service described care staff and managers as kind and caring. Staff knew people’s individual, diverse cultural, religious and gender needs and preferences. Rotas were organised so that people received care from staff that they had been able to develop positive relationships with.

There were excellent communication systems in place with all levels of care staff and the registered manager and management team communicated appropriately with other health and social care professionals and organisations to ensure that people received care packages that were person centred and robust.

Robust governance systems ensured that the quality of care provided was safe, effective and responsive to people’s needs.

People and relatives told us that staff were always punctual and stayed the agreed time. They appreciated that new care workers were always introduced to them before starting work in their home. They considered that staff were 'well selected' and 'seem to want to do their job.' They confirmed that there was good continuity, with regular staff providing their support and care.

We found that the agency was meeting the five standards that related to respecting and involving people, health and welfare, safeguarding people, staff training and quality assurance. The management team were committed to providing a high class service and had a good understanding of the areas where improvements could be made.