Archived: Lincolnshire Social Services (Horncastle)

Another person who had used the service told us, I was treated very well and asked my preferences beforehand. Another person said, 'They asked me if they had done things as I liked nearly every visit'. They said they, 'Weren't sure at first and didn't like people coming into their house but it was better when they got to know the care staff'.

We found care plans were in place which took account of people's needs and preferences.

People who used the service spoke very highly about the staff who provided the service. Staff told us they felt well supported by their managers. Staff had attended many training courses over the years however training was not up to date and staff had not been appraised recently. The service was undergoing significant change and we found there was some uncertainty amongst staff.

An evaluation of the independent living and re-ablement pilot had been undertaken. This had looked at the quality of the service including the views of the people who used it. The report had recommended the service continued and was expanded. The report also described how the quality of the service should be monitored in future.

Care plans were written in a way that promoted the individual's choice and independence. They gave clear guidance for care workers on how the care and support should be given.

Each person's care was reviewed by a care co-ordinator weekly. If the care package needed to be modified to involve health professionals as well as care professionals, and vice versa, this was achieved quickly because of the integrated nature of the support team. We saw records which supported this.

The manager told us people were never left without care because of staff sickness or leave. The high staff to person ratio meant staff could be re-assigned quickly if necessary. We were shown how this worked in practice.

We saw the service's current complaints procedure which was contained in people's information packs. We noted the service had a complaints log which detailed any resulting actions and who was responsible for them.