24 August 2016
During a routine inspection
Purple Balm is a Domiciliary Care Agency that provides care and support to adults of all ages, in their own homes. The service provides help with people’s personal care needs in the Saltash area of Cornwall. This includes people with physical disabilities and dementia care needs. The service mainly provides personal care for people in short visits at key times of the day to help people get up in the morning, go to bed at night and support with meals. Longer visits for a ‘sitting’ service are provided for some people.
At the time of our inspection 30 people were receiving a personal care service. These services were funded either privately, through Cornwall Council or NHS funding.
There was a registered manager in post who was responsible for the day-to-day running of the service. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People told us they felt safe using the service. Relatives also said they thought the service was safe. Comments included, “They are brilliant, very reliable”, “Staff are very nice to me” and “I am very pleased with the help.”
People told us staff always treated them respectfully and asked them how they wanted their care and support to be provided. People and their relatives spoke well of staff, commenting, “Staff are very polite and they will do anything you ask”, “Staff don’t stop me from doing things for myself” and “Staff don’t make you feel like an invalid.”
People told us they had a team of regular, reliable staff, they knew the times of their visits and were kept informed of any changes. No one reported ever having had any missed visits. People told us, “We get a list of the names of the staff coming to us and if there are any changes the office rings to let us know”, “We have four main carers who come to us” and “I have regular staff.”
Staff were knowledgeable about the people they cared for and knew how to recognise if people’s needs changed. Staff were aware of people’s preferences and interests, as well as their health and support needs, which enabled them to provide a personalised service. People told us they were involved in decisions about their care and their care plans, in which their needs and wishes were agreed.
Care plans provided staff with direction and guidance about how to meet people’s individual needs and wishes. These care plans were regularly reviewed and any changes in people’s needs were communicated to staff. Staff told they were kept informed of people’s changing needs, however, some minor changes were not updated in people’s care plans. Any risks in relation to people’s care and support were identified and appropriately managed.
Staff were recruited safely, which meant they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse. All were clear about how to report any concerns and were confident that any allegations made would be fully investigated to help ensure people were protected. Staff received appropriate training and supervision. New staff received an induction, which incorporated the care certificate. There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff available to meet the needs of people who used the service.
Staff and management had a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how to make sure people who did not have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves had their legal rights protected.
There was a positive culture within the staff team and staff spoke passionately about their work. Staff were complimentary about the management team and how they were supported to carry out their work. The registered manager and office staff were also passionate about their roles and were clearly committed to providing a good service for people. Staff told us, “A professional company who are there for their staff”, “Really organised, if need anything you only have to ask”, “Absolutely love my job” and “Management listen to your ideas.”
There were effective quality assurance systems in place to help ensure any areas for improvement were identified and action taken to continuously improve the quality of the service provided. People told us they were regularly asked for their views about the quality of the service they received. Comments from people included, “The service is well managed. I have confidence in them”, “It’s an excellent service” and “The office staff are always pleasant and helpful.” People had details of how to raise a complaint and told us they would be happy to make a complaint if they needed to.