Archived: Soma Healthcare (Central London)

We found the agency offered an organised service and provided flexible and responsive support. People we spoke with told us they received their visits at the right time and they were visited by regular staff who were familiar to them. Comments included, 'They always stay for the correct time and all do their jobs properly', 'I know who's coming in and don't have to worry' and 'Everything is ok, all is well at the moment.'

We also spoke to three relatives of people who were receiving care and support. They were complimentary about the service being provided and the competence and reliability of care staff. Comments included, 'I am more than satisfied' and 'Very good, they understand our needs.'

People described the staff as 'Very, very nice', 'Lovely', 'Brilliant, the best one (staff) we've had' and 'Absolutely fine.'

We found that people's needs were properly assessed and that care and support was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plans. People using the service and their relatives felt involved in planning their care.

People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines.

We found the process for staff recruitment was robust and well managed. This meant that people were protected from unsuitable staff. Staff told us management was supportive and that they enjoyed working for the agency. One member of staff described the new manager as 'A very nice man, ready to listen and provides a solution if you have a problem.'

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. Ongoing audits and feedback from people using the service was used to improve the support they received. People said they could raise any concerns or complaints with the agency.

People told us they were involved in the planning of their care. They had discussed their care with the provider when it first started and staff from the agency visited them regularly to review their needs with them.

The majority of people we spoke with said that their carers understood their needs and carried out their jobs confidently and competently. Their care workers turned up on time and they would be informed if there was any delay. When they were there they stayed for the allocated time. When people had replacement care workers they said were satisfactory. One person had, however, experienced unsatisfactory service and now had a new care worker.

People told us that they felt safe with their carers. If they had any concerns they knew who to contact at the agency.

We spoke with the local authority commissioner of care services provided by the branch who told us that there were no significant concerns about the service currently.