Archived: Nightingales Home Care Services

We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our intention to undertake an inspection. This was because the organisation provides a domiciliary care service to people in their homes; we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the office. A registered provider was in charge when we inspected the service. Registered providers are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run. This service was not required to have a registered manager in post. The service supported nine people with care in their home when we inspected.

People felt safe with staff in their home.

People felt safe with the staff supporting them. People were supported by regular staff they were familiar with and would understood any risks to their health. People were supported to take their medicines and regular checks were made to ensure people received their medicines as they should.

People were supported by staff that had access to support and supervision from the provider. Staff also had access to training and could clarify issues affecting people’s care they were unsure about.

Relatives were assured that people received support from other medical professionals if they needed it and that help would be sought were appropriate.

People liked the staff supporting them and staff had had over time developed an understanding of their needs. This was also supported through working with families to understand their needs. People care needs and preferences were known to staff and people were involved in making day to day decisions about their care.

People’s care needs were reviewed regularly and people’s care needs were known and understood by staff. People were supported by care staff who regularly attended their calls. People’s privacy and dignity were respected in ways that were important to them. Relatives knew who to complain to and the process for raising complaints. The registered provider had a system for recording and responding to complaints.

Relatives felt able to contact the office when needed to discuss issues affecting the family members. The registered provider assured themselves of the quality of care being delivered through regular contact with both family members and staff. People records were regularly checked and reviewed. Any anomalies in how people’s care was recorded was raised with staff so that improvements could be made.

We found consent had been obtained from people before care and treatment had been provided. We spoke with one relative of person who used the service. They told us that staff: 'Always ask for permission before they do anything'. Staff we spoke with told us they respected people's individual choices and decisions. One staff member said: 'I always offer the person a choice and respect what they say'.

We found people were complimentary about the care and support they received. One person told us: 'They are all very kind and absolutely lovely'. A relative we spoke with said: 'I am very satisfied. It's an excellent service'.

We found staff had been recruited in an appropriate way and checks had been undertaken that ensured they were suitable to care for vulnerable people.

The staffing levels for the agency were sufficient to meet the needs of the people they supported. People told us they received their care and support when they needed it.

The provider had an effective process in place that monitored the quality of the service they provided.

People we spoke with were treated with dignity and respect in their own homes. People expressed their views on how they wanted to maintain their independence and care workers we spoke with told us how they supported people in their choice.

People were complimentary about the care and support they received. One person told us, 'I don't know what I would do without them'. Another person said, 'I always have the same carer. They are very nice'. A relative we spoke with said, 'Nightingales are very good, they try to accommodate in everyway'.

People were safeguarded as the provider had taken steps to ensure any potential instances of abuse could be identified and reported. Care workers we spoke to told us they felt supported by the manager to take the appropriate action where required.

The provider had systems in place to make sure staff had the required levels of training to meet people's care needs before they were able to work in people's homes.

The provider had systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received and people knew how to make a complaint if they were not happy with the service. We saw that the home had not received any formal complaints