Archived: Homecare 2000 Limited

We visited three people in their homes and saw some people being prompted with medication and nutrition. The care workers we observed had a relaxed, friendly and respectful manner with people. People that we spoke with said that their needs were met. Comments included, 'I get what I need'. Records that we saw supported this view. They showed that people's needs had been assessed and the care which was delivered met each person's needs. People and their relatives told us that they had sufficient involvement in planning their care.

People told us that they felt safe and we found that the provider had systems in place to protect people from the risks of abuse. There were also effective recruitment procedures to ensure that staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people.

People who used the service were invited to give feedback and this was acted upon. Staff told us that they felt able to influence the service. The provider used a variety of quality assurance measures, including spot checks on care delivery.

A previous inspection in September 2012 identified that improvements were needed in the training and support given to staff. Improvements were also required with regard to the organisation of files and the security of confidential records.

The provider sent us (the Care Quality Commission) an action plan showing how they would address the issues identified in the 2012 inspection. During this latest inspection we found that the provider had taken positive action to address all the issues. For example, we saw from records that staff had completed mandatory training and that a programme of staff appraisals was now in place. We also saw that files were well organised and information could be located promptly. Action had been taken to improve the security of confidential records.

We had received information of concern from the manager of Homecare 2000. This was about the disposal of unused medications in the home of a person who used the service. Records showed that the home had taken action to safeguard people who used the service and had passed information to relevant authorities. They had also introduced a new policy for the recording of disposal of medicines.

An inspection in March 2012 identified that improvements were needed in relation to safeguarding vulnerable adults training and other training. The provider submitted an action plan and during this inspection we checked that this plan had been carried out. We found that all staff had completed safeguarding training but some other training had not been completed at the time of our inspection.

People we spoke with were overwhelmingly positive about the care they received, their own involvement in their care and the responsiveness of the agency. Comments included: 'They are very caring and loving, especially the younger ones", 'I can phone them anytime I want. They are all wonderful.' People told us how this agency met their particular needs. We also saw that care records were detailed and supported staff to meet these needs.

Staff were very positive about their role and the agency. Comments included: 'I love my job and have no plans to change. It's a family run business and very hands on ". They told us that they felt well supported. However, we found that many staff had not had a recent appraisal.

We found that some staff files were not well organised, could not be located promptly and were not stored securely.