Archived: Kemble Care LLP

Kemble Care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care for people with dementia, and/ or older people, physical disabilities, sensory impairment, and younger adults living in their own homes. The service was supporting 97 people at the time of our inspection. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. Some people received visits and other people had staff live with them over a period of time.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were cared for by staff and management team who were passionate about supporting people. They demonstrated boundless empathy and understanding. People were supported by staff who were warm and considerate towards them, who people considered friends. The management team and staff consistently went the extra mile and followed the ethos of “Giving something back.” Excursions, events and experiences were arranged to improve people’s well-being. There was innovative use of technology to improve communication and people’s health and well-being outcomes. The management team and staff lead on improving people’s independence and facilitating meeting people’s cultural beliefs and wishes. People and their relatives felt involved and supported in decision making. People's privacy was respected, and their dignity maintained.

People were cared for by staff who knew how to keep them safe and protect them from avoidable harm. Skilled, knowledgeable staff were available to meet people's needs. People’s risks were assessed and plans in place to guide staff. Safe systems were in place for the management of medicines when people needed support with this. Staff understood and followed infection control and prevention procedures. Incidents and accidents were investigated, and actions were taken to prevent recurrence.

People's needs were assessed, and care was planned and delivered to meet legislation and good practice guidance. Care was delivered by staff who were well trained and knowledgeable about people's needs and wishes. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People and their relatives were positive about the service and the care provided. Staff provided care in a personalised way and worked with the management team to facilitate this. Suggestions and ideas were acted upon from people, families and staff. Staff and the management team were responsive to people's individual needs and flexed the service where possible to support people. People's concerns were listened to and action was taken to improve the service as a result.

The management team were open, approachable and focussed on providing person centred care. They completed checks to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. The management team and staff engaged well with other organisations and had developed positive relationships. The management team worked on promoting strong community links to ensure people could access the support they needed.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 2 November 2016)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Kemble Care is registered to provide personal care and support for people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 173 people received care and support from this service.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 felt support was provided by staff in a way that was kind, caring and safe. Staff understood how to recognise and protect people from abuse and received regular training around how to keep people safe. Staff were not recruited until checks had been made to make sure they were suitable to work with the people that used the service.

People were supported by staff and management that were approachable and listened to any concerns people or relatives had.

Staff were reliable and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs.

People were confident that staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to provide the right care and support. People’s care records contained the relevant information for staff to follow to meet people’s health needs and manage risks appropriately. Care plans and risk assessments were clear and updated quickly if people’s needs changed.

People were involved in the care and support that they received. People told us they had choice over the support they received and nothing was done without their consent. Staff understood the principles of consent and delivering care that was individual to the person.

Staff responded quickly if someone was unwell and supported people to access other health professionals when needed. People were supported to take their medicine safely and when they needed it.

The provider and registered manager had systems to measure the safety and quality of the service. Checks and audits were completed regularly to make sure that good standards of care were maintained.