Archived: Personal Support Service

We spoke with eight people who used the service, either in their homes, or by telephone. All were satisfied with the service and said they were getting the care they needed, when they needed it. They said 'The staff are very reliable. They've never forgotten to visit.' Another said 'It's a good service. The staff don't rush you,' while a third said 'The staff are so gentle. I feel very safe with them.'

People told us they were included in decisions about their care and staff checked with them before providing any care.

People told us they now received the care they wanted and their care was reviewed periodically to check it was still what they were wanting. We found the care delivery and care records had improved so people were now receiving safe, consistent care.

People told us they felt safe and trusted their care team. We saw the service had systems in place to protect people from harm.

People told us staff were kind and friendly and carried out their work competently. Staff told us they met regularly with colleagues and managers to share good practice and to discuss their work.

People told us they had been consulted about the quality of the service, though we noted these systems were new so needed to be maintained and built on.

The majority of people told us that they were happy with the care they received and that it was in line with their care plan. Despite this, we found evidence that people were not receiving the care they required to ensure their health and wellbeing was supported appropriately. We also found that staff may not be aware of people's individual needs which may place people at risk. We have asked the provider to address this.

There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. We saw that a policy was in place on infection control and handwashing. We spoke with people receiving care about infection control. Comments from people included "They (staff) are always washing their hands" and "They always wear gloves."

We found that appropriate arrangements were in place to support workers to carry out their job.

During our inspection we found that the provider did not have in place suitable arrangements for maintaining accurate and up to date records to ensure that people were protected against the risk of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment. We have asked the provider to address this.