9, 10 May 2011
During a routine inspection
More than one person told us that the service is good with room for improvement. People all agreed that the actual care received was very good. One person said they were 'sceptical at first but now really likes the support, which breaks up the day'. Another person described the support as 'reassuring' whilst another person said they would score them 9 out of ten. Everyone we spoke with said they felt safe in JM Healthcare staff hands.
The main criticism related to timing of visits. Everyone spoken to said staff were excellent at informing them if they were going to be late. However, feedback also identified a problem where staff were late and appeared 'pressured' or 'pushed to make up time'. Two people told us when staff were running late the times of the visits were sometimes 5 or ten minutes shorter than planned.
People said they felt safe when being cared for by staff and felt they had their needs met. We were also assured that people felt confident that staff would refer them to the GP, district nurse or emergency services where necessary.
People appreciated having a small team of care staff who visited. One person said they liked that when their regular carer was on leave they knew the replacements very well and felt in safe hands.
The care managers we spoke with were also complimentary about the service provided. One professional said 'They are very good and their communication is good. I have never needed to complain and found they deal with risk assessments and emergency situations very well.'
Everyone we spoke with said they knew who to go to if they felt unsafe or worried and were told that they had been given with telephone numbers of senior care staff, the office phone number and the directors, whom they can call if they have any concerns. We were told that getting hold of the senior carer was easy but contacting the office out of ours is sometimes a problem.
The people we spoke with said they were confident about raising concerns with the care staff or senior care staff and thought that any issues would be taken seriously.