The Care Quality Commission
  • Services in your home
  • Homecare service

Archived: Carewatch (Central Norfolk)

Alpha Delta House, Rash's Green, Dereham, Norfolk, NR19 1JG (01362) 696967

Provided and run by:
Aspire Care Ltd

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

29 October 2013

During a routine inspection

For this inspection we spoke with 26 people by phone or face to face. We sent out questionnaires to 61 people using the service and 61 to their families/advocates. We received a total of 14 replies.

The majority of comments were positive about the way care staff supported them in their own homes. We were told staff were caring, polite and did the job required. We heard comments such as, 'I have good days and bad days when I am a lot slower. The carers always reassure me that it is not a problem and for me to take my time, even when I know it makes them late for their next call.' Another person said, 'They knock and call out who it is before entering, speak politely and always leave the house as they find it.' This person also said they were involved in the planning of their care and support needs. Further comments received told us that people using this service felt their independence was promoted. One person said, 'I'd be in poor way without them.'

Care plans that recorded people's care needs were available and up to date for staff to follow. People could be assured that their care needs would be met appropriately.

We found care staff were suitably recruited to ensure people using the service were supported by staff who had been through employment safety checks, had the required training and were monitored regularly to ensure they were doing the job safely and correctly.

This service had systems in place to monitor and improve the service provided to ensure it was suitable and safe. In the last few months improved computer software had been introduced to assist with the monitoring and information gathering on a day to day basis.

The internal audits carried out by the provider had rated the service as excellent in 2011 and 2013.

20 August 2012

During a routine inspection

We spoke with three people and their relatives about the service provided by this agency. The overall comments were positive about the care and support given. We were told how good the staff team were, however, one person said, 'Some were better than others'. They said that the care staff arrived within quarter of an hour of the allotted time and that they would, 'Always get a phone call if they were running late.' However another person told us that they had not been informed when the staff members were very late on one occasion.

We were told that care staff were trained and competent to do the job. They told us that they felt the support they received was carried out safely. They said that any comments would be listened to and acted upon if there was any concern at all about the ability of the staff.

We were given the details about the methods used to check the quality provided to people who use the service such as drop in visits and phone calls and the questionnaires that are circulated every year to ask people's views of the service. Overall the people spoken with were content with the service provided.

10 June 2011

During a routine inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service. They told us that their needs were met and that they were consulted about the care that they were provided with. People told us that the staff always treated them with respect and that their privacy and dignity were respected and maintained. They were complimentary about the staff that cared for them and told us that staff members were friendly and kind and had a good attitude. They told us that occasionally someone from the office had visited them to check that they were happy with the service they received and that their complaints and concerns were listened to and resolved.

Relatives with whom we spoke told us that the carers that visited their relative were good at keeping them informed of the changes needed to the care and support their relative received. They told us that carers were kind, friendly and polite to their relative and themselves and that their relative was well cared for. They told us that their relative always received a carer to visit them, was informed of who would visit them during the week but were often not told who would visit at the weekend.

Staff members with whom we spoke told us that they had completed training. They told us that they were given the information they needed and could read in the plan of care of anyone using the service the changes made to their care and support.

The Director with whom we spoke told us that every effort was made to ensure that the needs of people using the service were met and that staff members were fully trained. They told us that recruitment had taken place and was continuing to improve the service provided at the weekend.