Archived: Wellington House

People who used the service, and their representatives, had their views taken into account and were asked for their consent when arrangements for their care and support were made. Staff understood what approach to take to assist each person to be involved in making decisions and communicating their wishes.

People were very satisfied with the care and support they received and made positive comments about the quality and reliability of the service. However, we were concerned that people might be at risk of receiving unsafe or inappropriate care because the provider had not ensured that the needs of everyone who used the service had been properly assessed.

The provider had also not ensured that the support people required with managing medication had been properly assessed. We found that and on some occasions staff had supported people with medicines without following the the correct procedures.

Staff received regular training and good support from their managers to help them carry out their roles effectively.

The provider carried out regular checks to help ensure that the service operated reliably. They checked that records were properly completed and took into account the views and comments of people who used the service and their representatives.

We spoke with two staff members during this visit who were able to provide us with evidence that the necessary improvements had been made. Supervisions for staff had been introduced and training was now being monitored. We reviewed the care plans and risk assessments in place for people and saw that these had also been reviewed and improved on.

People using the service were complimentary both about the care they received and the staff delivering their care. One person told us, "I'm very happy with them. They are very well-mannered and very well trained." Another person commented that, "Each and every girl who comes in is like a friend. They are all very kind to me." People told us that they were treated with respect by carers who visited them regularly. They told us that carers arrived on time and stayed for the amount of time allocated to them. No-one we spoke with had any concerns with the care they were receiving.

Staff we spoke with described being happy working at the agency. One member of staff told us, "Management are very good and very supportive. To be quite honest they've been very good to me." Several members of staff did tell us that they felt they needed more time in between calls. One person said, "There is not enough time between calls and at times we are under pressure." Staff also commented that they would like more training..

We found that care plans at the service were not person-centred and that no audits were being carried out by the service. Staff training needs were not being monitored therefore it was unclear as to how current training was.