Archived: Sarsen Court

As part of this inspection we visited four people (who use Sarsen Court services) in their own homes. This included speaking with two relatives. Shortly after our visit we spoke on the telephone with four members of staff. We spent time in the office reviewing records.

Everyone we spoke with was complimentary of the staff and were satisfied with the care and support they received. Comments included: "I cannot fault the care and attention I receive. I have regular carers which is important to me, they know me very well and I don't have to keep explaining what needs to be done and when. They are kind and that matters to me." Another person described the staff team as "extremely caring and experienced and know me very well. Staff are very polite and respectful." A relative explained: "I am very pleased with them. I cannot fault them at all. They are extremely reliable and caring." Another person described the care they received as "it's exceptionally good, they are not rushed and have sufficient time to deliver what i expect and need." Another relative told us "I have complete confidence in the staff who are compassionate and professional.The agency is extremely responsive and effective. The staff take time with X, talk with them and are mindful they are working in someone else's home. They really respect X as an individual person as well as us as a family. The staff are really suited to meet X's needs and personality."

We found the management of people's medicines was well organised and staff were

trained effectively to carry this out safely.

We saw there were systems in place to monitor and assess the quality of its service; which showed examples of improvements they had made to service delivery in response to comments people who used the service. Everyone we spoke with agreed they had opportunities to express their views regarding the care provided, and were confident any concerns would be dealt with effectively.

Overall people told us they were pleased with their care particularly when they had their regular carer. One person said "the carers are marvellous. Particularly my regular carer."

People were aware of how to contact the provider's office if they had concerns about their care. Staff were confident in their understanding of the safeguarding of vulnerable adults.

The provider had a comprehensive system for ensuring staff did not commence employment without the appropriate checks.

People told us staffing levels and continuity of staff had improved. Staff told us although there was an improvement in staffing levels there were still staffing difficulties particularly at the weekend. We noted the provider was recruiting regularly however retention of staff remained an issue. Overall there were enough staff.

Staff told us they were supported. We looked at supervision, training and appraisal records and saw these were meeting the provider's recommendations.

The provider had an effective quality monitoring system.