Archived: South East Locality Home Care

South East Locality Homecare is a short term support service providing domiciliary care and support to people in their own homes, often following hospital discharge. It is registered to deliver personal care. At the time of the inspection the registered manager told us they supported around 70 people in the urban area of south east Northumberland. He said this number fluctuated regularly depending upon when people were discharged from hospital and referrals from primary care services.

The service had a registered manager who had been registered with the Care Quality Commission since October 2010. 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 told us they felt safe when staff were supporting them with personal care. They told us care workers were very helpful and pleasant. Staff told us they had received training in relation to safeguarding adults and would report any concerns. Processes were in place to recruit staff and to carry out checks to ensure they were suitably experienced and were of good character to work with people who were potentially vulnerable. People told us staff attended their agreed care appointments within prescribed time slots and there were no missed appointments. A system was in place to monitor late visits and take action to avoid any delays.

The provider had in place systems to support staff out of office hours. A new call centre system had recently been introduced and this was said to be working well.

The provider had a comprehensive policy on how people should be supported with medicines and staff had received training on the safe handling of medicines. Staff had a good knowledge of the important aspects of prompting and administering medicines and records related to this activity were complete and up to date. Audits of medicine support were regularly undertaken.

People told us staff had the right skills to support their care needs. Staff said they received training and there was a system in place to ensure this was updated on a regular basis. Staff told us, and records showed there was regular supervision and annual appraisals. Staff were aware of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and issues relating to personal choice and best interest decisions. The registered manager confirmed that no one using the service was subject to restrictions imposed by the Court of Protection.

People told us they found staff caring and supportive. They said their privacy and dignity was respected during the delivery of personal care. Staff had a clear understanding about supporting people to develop and regain their independence. Staff were able to describe how they supported people to maintain their health and wellbeing. People said they were supported by care staff to access adequate food and drinks.

Professionals said the service was very responsive to people’s needs and flexible in its approach. People’s needs were assessed and care plans detailed the type of support they should receive. Care plans contained goals that people wished to achieve and these were reviewed and updated as support progressed and people’s abilities improved. There had been no formal complaints and five informal concerns logged in the previous 12 months and these had been dealt with appropriately. People we spoke with told us they were happy with the care provided and they had no complaints about the service. A number of compliments had been received by the service about the support provided by staff.

The provider had in place systems to effectively manage the service and monitor quality. A range of meetings and monitoring systems were in place to ensure the service was meeting both internal quality standards and Health and Social Care Act regulations. New systems were being introduced to improve person centred care. Regular spots checks took place to review care provision, hand hygiene, medicines management and ensure people were receiving appropriate levels of care. People were also contacted to solicit their views and there was a high level of satisfaction with the service. Staff told us there were regular meetings and information was provided to ensure they were up to date about any changes in care. An electronic contact system supported care workers and allowed them to be aware of changes to people’s care needs quickly, through the use of mobile technology. Records contained good detail, were up to date and stored appropriately.

We found people's care as planned in line with their assessed needs. People told us that they were happy with the care provided and told us, "I am very happy with the service, it is very professional'; 'They are lovely. They go beyond what is needed. The service is exemplary' and 'I couldn't say anything bad about them; they are just perfect.'

The provider had in place a safeguarding policy. Information about action to be taken in the event of a safeguarding incident and contact details of appropriate agencies were available to staff. People felt safe when the care workers supported them. One person told us, 'I feel very safe with them; they are all nice people.'

We found there were sufficient staff employed to provide the service. People told us they were supported by a small group of care workers. One person told us, 'It's generally the same three girls that come. I know them now. If there is a change they always tell us.'

People's care records were up to date and reviewed. Daily records of care were written in good detail and signed by the care worker delivering care. Records were stored securely and were easily accessible.

People told us they understood the choices available to them. They said they had helped to plan the care they received and felt they were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. We concluded that people understood the care and treatment choices available to them.

We found that medicines were handled appropriately. Medication procedures were in place to guide staff. One person told us, 'They have everything under control with my medication.'

People told us that they thought staff were 'professional' and 'knew what they were doing.' We found that people were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely.

People told us they could talk to staff if they were worried about anything, or if they had any complaints. We found systems were in place to assess the quality of the service, and to identify and manage risks to people.