The Wykeham

About the service

The Wykeham is a domiciliary care agency located in the London Borough of Havering. It is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, 4 people were receiving support with personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where people do receive personal care, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right Support

There were systems in place to keep people safe from abuse. There were risk assessments to monitor and mitigate risks to people. Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff working at the service. No one at the service was being supported with medicines administration, but the service kept information about people’s medicines to support with risks to them. Staff were trained in infection prevention and control. There were systems in place to learn from incidents and accidents. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice.

Right Care

People’s needs were assessed so the service knew whether they could meet their needs. Staff received an induction, were trained and supervised in their roles. People could be supported with eating and drinking if required. Staff recorded care effectively and worked with health and social care professionals to ensure people received good care.

Right Culture

Feedback from people and relatives indicated staff were caring. People and relatives were able to make choices with people’s care. People were treated with respect and dignity and supported to be independent.

People’s needs were recorded in care plans which were personalised and provided instructions for staff. People’s communication needs were recorded so staff could meet their preferences. Staff supported people with activities of their choice. There had been no complaints about the service but there was a process in place for people and relatives to follow.

The service provided a person-centred culture with relatives and staff providing positive feedback about how the service was managed. People, relatives and staff were able to engage in the service. There were quality assurance measures to ensure people were provided with good, safe care. The service worked with other agencies to support people.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for the service was good (published 19 December 2018.)

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture. This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

BE Wembley is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults and younger disabled adults. During the day of our inspection BE Wembley was providing personal care to seven people who used the service, which was carried out by eight care workers.

Not everyone using BE Wembley receives the regulated activity. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

A manager was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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.

If people required help in taking their medicines appropriate procedures and systems were followed by care workers. Care workers knew when to give these and what to do if they were concerned or medicines were missed. People were protected from the risks of abuse. Care workers knew how to recognise the signs of abuse and knew what actions to take if they felt people were at risk of harm. People were protected from risks associated with their health and care provision and measures to reduce or prevent potential risks to individuals were taken.

People received care and support from staff who were well trained and knew how people liked things done. Care workers received appraisals and supervisions, however, supervisions were at times not formally documented. The service ensured that people’s needs were met and appropriate assessments of need were carried out prior or shortly after care and support was provided. People who used the service currently required no support with their nutrition and hydration. People’s healthcare needs were met by the person or their relative, however the agency could make arrangements if required. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service did support this practice.

People received support that was individualised to their personal preferences and treated with care and kindness and supported to be as independent as possible. Care workers respected people's privacy and dignity.

Relatives told us they knew how to make a complaint, if necessary, and were confident that any concerns they might raise would be listened to, taken seriously and acted upon.

Relatives and people’s feedback and suggestions were welcomed to help the service continually improve. The registered provider’s audit systems had some gaps, however these did not impact on the quality of care. The registered provider reassured us that he will address these gaps without delay. Relatives told us that management was open and approachable and worked in partnership with them to help meet their needs. Care workers told us that management was supportive and that they enjoyed working for the service.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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. The registered manager was on duty on the day of our inspection and we also met with three team leaders of the domiciliary care agency.

People felt safe with the support they received from care staff. There were arrangements in place to help safeguard people from the risk of abuse.

The service had procedures for monitoring and managing risks to people.

People’s care files contained risk assessments. The risk assessments identified risks and actions required of staff to minimise the risk.

Care staff supported people who were unable to manage their own medicines. They had been trained to administer medicines safely.

People were protected from the recruitment of unsuitable staff. Recruitment records contained the relevant checks.

Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care. They had received a comprehensive induction and training in relevant areas of their work.

People said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.

Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were involved in making decisions about their care and support and their consent was sought and documented.

People were supported to eat and drink sufficiently to maintain a balanced diet.

The service encouraged people to raise any concerns they had and we saw from records people’s concerns were responded to in a timely manner.

The service was well managed. It proactively sought feedback from staff and people, which it acted on.