Archived: PSA Home Care

PSA Homecare provides care and support to adults in their own homes. The service provides support for mainly older people. At the time of the inspection it provided a personal care service to four people. They provided visits to people for a minimum of one hour and provided 24-hour care to support people. The service provided care and support to people in Kent.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People were protected from abuse, discrimination and avoidable harm by staff who knew how to identify and report any concerns. Risks to people’s health, safety and well-being were assessed, monitored and reviewed and action was taken to reduce risks. People were supported by a small, consistent staff team who had been recruited safely. People and their relatives told us their calls were on time and there had not been any missed calls. People continued to be supported to have their medicines safely and on time.

People’s physical, mental health and social needs were assessed and regularly reviewed. Staff continued to complete training to keep up to date with best practice. The provider tried, as far as possible, to match people and staff who had shared interests. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet. Staff promoted healthy eating and provided home-cooked meals when required. The provider and staff worked with health care professionals to make sure people remained as healthy as possible. 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 supported this practice.

People and their relatives told us staff were kind and caring. People’s privacy and dignity were promoted, and their choices respected. People and their relatives continued to be involved in making decisions about their care. Staff encouraged people to remain as independent as possible. Staff worked closely as a team and respected each other. One staff had commented to the provider, ‘I would like to compliment [staff] on everything they do for [person]. They are consistently attentive to all their needs and support to me too. They are dependable. It is a pleasure to work in a team that is so close and so supportive to each other’.

People continued to receive care that was planned to reflect their individual physical, mental health, and social and emotional needs. The provider and staff recorded all the information on an electronic care planning system. Any changes to a person’s care and support were updated immediately. People and their relatives knew how to complain and told us they had no complaints. The provider had not received any complaints in the last 12 months. The provider regularly received positive feedback from people, their relatives, staff and health care professionals. People’s choices for their end of life care were recorded and kept under review to make sure people’s wishes could be followed. Staff worked closely with people’s GPs and the community nursing team to ensure people remained comfortable and pain-free.

People, their relatives and staff told us the service was well-led. The provider lead by example and coached and mentored their staff team. There was an open and transparent culture where people’s opinions were valued. There were effective checks and audits to make sure a high quality of service was provided. The provider understood their regulatory responsibilities and kept up to date with changes in legislation. The provider worked to continually make improvements and had a clear vision and set of values for the service which was shared by staff. Staff were proud to work for PSA Home Care.

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 this service was Good (Published 23 December 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

PSA Homecare is a small service that provides care and support to adults in their own homes. The service provides support for mainly older people. At the time of the inspection it provided a personal care service to three people. They provided visits to people for a minimum of one hour and would provide 24 hour care to support people if required. The service provided care and support to people in Kent.

The service is managed by the registered provider. Registered providers 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 and relatives were involved in the initial assessment and the planning of their support. Care plans contained details of people's wishes and preferences, and were regularly reviewed to ensure they contained up to date information.

Risks associated with people's support had been identified and clear guidance was in place to keep people safe.

People had their needs met by appropriate staffing. People received a service from a small and consistent team of staff, who were recruited to match the people they supported. Staff underwent an induction programme, which included relevant training courses and shadowing the registered provider, until they were competent to work on their own. Staff received training appropriate to their role, which was refreshed regularly to ensure their knowledge remained up to date.

People were supported to maintain good health and attend appointments and check-ups. People's medicines were handled in line with the registered providers policy and procedures.

People and relatives felt they were treated with dignity and respect and that the staff were kind and caring.

People and relatives felt people were safe using the service. The service had safeguarding procedures in place and all staff had received training in these.

People had opportunities to provide feedback about the service provided. Systems were in place to ensure the service ran effectively and people received a quality service.

The registered provider completed checks to ensure that the service operated in an efficient and effective manner, ensuring that people were appropriately supported. There was a business plan in place with aims and objectives and staff followed this through in their practice. The registered provider demonstrated their commitment to ensuring that people received quality care that was designed to meet individual needs.