Archived: Crocus Homecare

Updated 4 October 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 3 August 2016 at the provider’s office base. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice because they provide a community based service and the managers are often out during the day and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

The inspection team consisted of one inspector and one expert-by-experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses a community based service.

Before the inspection we reviewed any information we held about the service, including any information the provider had sent us. This included the provider information return (PIR). A PIR is a report that we ask the provider to complete which gives details of how they deliver their service, including numbers of staff and people using the service, and any plans for development. We also reviewed any notifications the provider had sent us. Notifications are reports the provider must send to us to tell us of any significant incidents or events that have occurred.

In order to gather information to make an assessment of the quality of the service, we looked at a variety of records and spoke to people about the service. We reviewed care records which included needs assessments, risk assessments and daily care logs; management records which included staff records, policies, development plans and evidence of training. We also spoke to the registered manager, a director of the service, a community healthcare practitioner, three care staff and six people who used the service or their families.

Updated 4 October 2016

The inspection took place on the 3 August 2016. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice of the inspection, as this was a small service where people were often out during the day and we needed to make sure that the registered manager would be available to meet us. The service was last inspected in July 2014.

Crocus Homecare is a small community based service registered to provide care and support to people in their own homes. It currently provides care for seven people in their own homes in the Derbyshire Dales.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 who used the service were safe in the care of staff from Crocus Homecare. Staff received training and support and told us they were confident to report any concerns they may have, if they felt a person was at risk of harm or abuse. Staff were recruited safely and all pre-employment safety checks were completed before they started working for Crocus Home Care.

Staff received relevant training that prepared them to offer personalised care to people, based on individual need. Staff were supervised and supported by the management team who had the qualifications and experience to manage the service and the staff. People were asked for consent before care was offered and staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People were supported to maintain their health. Food and hydration was monitored where required and people were supported to access community health and social care services.

Staff developed positive caring relationships with people, based on mutual respect and equality. They were compassionate and enjoyed caring for people and improving their quality of life. Families were confident in leaving their loved ones in the care of Crocus Homecare and had nothing but praise for the carers and the management team; who they said, really understood their relative’s individual needs and preferences.

People were involved in planning all aspects of their care. Their views and preferences were actively sought and respected by the staff team, whose hours were arranged to provide consistent care for people. Families told us they appreciated the consistency of carers and felt their loved ones were more comfortable when they had the same people visiting them. They also said this enabled their relatives to be cared for with dignity and their privacy was respected.

People received personalised care from staff who understood their individual needs and interests. Families told us the service was quick to respond to changing needs and the registered manager was approachable and took time to understand people’s requirements, before agreeing a care plan with them. People met the staff who would be caring for them, before care began; when all needs were discussed and everyone got to know each other. Families were reassured by the positive caring relationships the staff had with their loved ones and explained how this had a positive impact on the wellbeing of the whole family, who also felt cared for, in the process.

The service routinely sought and responded to feedback and used it to improve the care experience for people and families. The staff were flexible and adapted to changing needs, they told us that people were at the heart of what they do.

The registered manager led and managed the staff team effectively and was committed to providing good quality care, that enabled people to remain in their own homes, for as long as possible. There was a positive and inclusive culture in the service, where people and staff felt valued.