Archived: Carewatch (Maidstone-Ashford)

Carewatch Maidstone-Ashford provides care and support for people in their own homes. This includes children, older people, people with a learning disability and people with a physical disability. The office is situated in the centre of Maidstone. At the time of our inspection they were supporting approximately 72 people.

At the time of our inspection there was a manager in place who had applied to become the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People received a service that was safe and told us they felt safe. Staff and the management team had received training about protecting people from abuse, and they knew what action to take if they suspected abuse. Systems were in place to monitor and review any safeguarding concerns. The safety of staff who were working out in the community had been assessed with systems put into place to reduce the risk to staff. Risks to people’s safety had been assessed and recorded with measures put into place to manage any hazards identified.

People received support and assistance from enough staff to fulfil their expected care packages and meet their assessed needs. Staff had received the training they required to meet people’s needs. A comprehensive induction programme was in place which all new staff completed. Staff had a clear understanding of their roles and people’s needs. Staff were supported in their role from the management team.

Recruitment practices were safe and checks were carried out to make sure staff were suitable to work with people who needed care and support. The provider had a continuous recruitment programme in place to ensure there was enough staff to meet peoples needs.

Where staff were involved in assisting people to manage their medicines, they did so safely. Policies and procedures were in place for the safe administration of medicines and staff had been trained to administer medicines safely.

People’s needs had been assessed to identify the care and support they required. Care and support was planned with people and reviewed to make sure people continued to have the support they needed. Detailed guidance was provided to staff within people’s homes and on their work phone about how to provide all areas of the care and support people needed.

People were supported to remain as healthy as possible. Guidance was available within peoples support plans to inform the staff of any specific health condition support. People were encouraged to maintain as much independence as possible.

People were treated with dignity and respect whilst receiving care and support from the agency. Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and people said they were always asked their consent before any care or support tasks were carried out.

Systems were in place for monitoring the quality and safety of the service and assessing people’s experiences. These included telephone reviews, face to face reviews and annual questionnaires.

People told us that staff from the agency had visited and assessed their care needs before the service to them commenced. One relative said, 'They assessed our needs before the carers started coming, and they continue to ask us if we need any other support'.

People we spoke with told us that they were happy with the service provided and that staff were reliable and punctual. People said that staff were respectful and caring. One person said, 'When they wash me they make sure the curtains are across and sometimes put a sheet up in the living room to ensure my privacy'. Another said, 'They warm the bathroom before I go in and have warm towels to dry me when I come out. They are very gentle except the younger ones who can be a little rough, although not deliberately'. Another said, 'Sometimes my daughter's fianc'e visits. They ask him to go out of the room if they are attending to me and changing my bag.'

We were told that reviews were undertaken regularly to make sure that people who used the service were happy.

We found that care plans were reviewed on a regular basis and information was clearly documented.

There was a medication policy and procedure and staff had received medication training, however the documentation they completed showed some gaps in recording so it was not always clear whether people had taken their medication.

There was a policy and process in place for ensuring that staff were trained, supervised and appraised yearly.

We spent time looking through documentation as well as talking with staff. We found that the agency had a range of information showing how people felt about the services provided. This included records of telephone calls, records of staff field observations, questionnaire responses and complaints and compliments records.

We found that people spoke positively about the agency, with comments such as 'I have regular weekly carers, and they are all friendly.' 'We have always found the carers very good and helpful.' And 'All the staff that have visited have provided an exceptional level of service that has been a huge support.'

We found that the agency had obtained suitable information from people to provide effective levels of care to meet their assessed needs. The support plans were detailed and informative.

We viewed staff recruitment and training records, and found that there were reliable processes in place for providing suitably trained and competent staff.