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Sharon Brinkman Care Services Ltd

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Nene House, Nene Court, Spalding, PE11 2JT 07746 445519

Provided and run by:
Sharon Brinkman Care Services LTD

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

About the Service

The service provides care to people in their own home. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 60 people.

Who the service is for

This service supports older people and people with physical disabilities who are living in their own homes.

Key findings

We carried out this assessment on 27 August 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.

People continued to receive safe care that reflected their preferences and choices. People were involved in decisions about their care and support. Care plans described people's needs, preferences and daily routines. People were supported to remain as independent as possible and make choices about their daily lives.

Staff understood their safeguarding duties and knew how to raise concerns. Risks were assessed and managed to help keep people safe and well. Managers monitored staffing levels and arranged support from a consistent staff team. People told us staff generally arrived on time and visits were completed without them feeling rushed.

People's needs were assessed before they started receiving care. Care plans gave staff clear guidance on how to support people safely and effectively. Staff completed training needed for their role, including safeguarding, moving and handling, infection prevention and control, medicines and end of life care. Staff worked with healthcare professionals when there were concerns about a person's health or wellbeing.

We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Staff and managers demonstrated an understanding of the MCA and the importance of gaining consent before providing care. Managers told us no one using the service was subject to a community Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards authorisation at the time of our assessment. People were supported to make their own decisions where possible and were not subject to unnecessary restrictions. People had choice, control and freedom over their lives.

People were supported to receive their medicines safely. Staff completed medicines training and checks on their competence. Systems were in place to share information about medicine changes and update care records. Audits and other checks helped identify and address any issues.

People were treated with kindness and respect. Staff understood the importance of dignity, privacy and independence. Care plans included information about how people wanted to be supported. Records showed people were offered choices and their decisions were respected. Managers had identified improvements were needed to make records more focused on people's experiences and choices and had taken action to improve this.

Care was tailored to people's individual needs. Staff supported people to maintain important relationships and take part in activities they enjoyed. Support was adjusted when required. This helped people achieve good outcomes and reduced the risk of unequal experiences.

Leaders understood the service well and were committed to providing good quality care. The provider and senior staff led by example and created a culture of respect. They recognised the importance of supporting staff and creating a positive working environment. One staff member told us, "As a company, I have never felt as valued as a staff member as I do working here." Staff described managers as approachable and supportive and spoke positively about the support they received. This had helped the service maintain a stable staff team, which helped provide continuity of care and enabled staff to build positive relationships with people. People, their homes and their belongings were valued.

Managers used audits, spot checks and checks on staff competence to monitor the quality of the service. The provider had embraced electronic care systems to support care delivery, quality monitoring and communication with relatives. Relatives were able to view information about the care provided, which helped promote transparency and involvement. These systems supported oversight of the service and demonstrated the provider's commitment to continuous improvement.

30 December 2019

During a routine inspection

About the service

Sharon Brinkman care services Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there were 15 people using the service.

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 using the service were protected from the risk of abuse as staff understood their roles in keeping people safe. Risks to people had been assessed and reviewed and their care plans provided staff with guidance to meet their needs safely. People were supported with administration of their medicines when required.

People were supported by staff who had received appropriate training for their roles and who knew people well. Staff recruitment process ensured staff were suitable and safe to work with vulnerable people.

There were enough staff to provide consistent care for people. Staff received further training to increase their knowledge and awareness about specific health conditions that affect people. People were supported to maintain their health, and had received health care services when needed. Where needed, staff prepared food and drink to meet people’s dietary needs and requirements.

Staff followed procedures to protect people from infection. They were supervised, and their practice was checked to ensure they provided care that people needed.

People made decisions about their care which were documented in their care plans and respected by staff. 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 were supported by kind and caring staff who they trusted and had built positive relationships with. People’s privacy, dignity and independence was promoted. Their communication needs were met and understood by staff.

People received person centred care. The registered manager and staff had a good understanding of people’s needs and their individual preferences. Care plans were personalised and took account of people’s lifestyle interests. Staff worked flexibly to enable people to maintain their independence and contact with family and the wider community. People had the opportunity to express their wishes in relation to end of life care.

Everyone we spoke with felt the registered manager was approachable and responsive. There were systems and processes in place to assess and monitor the quality of care provided. The registered manager was aware of their legal responsibilities and notified the Care Quality Commission as required. The views of people, relatives and staff were sought. The registered manager shared information and learning with the staff team when things went wrong. People were confident complaints would be listened to and acted on.

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 27 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. The overall rating for the service has remained good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Sharon Brinkman care services ltd on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.

25 April 2017

During a routine inspection

Sharon Brinkman Care Services Ltd provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the Spalding area of South Lincolnshire. The service was first registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in May 2015 and had been operating for about two years at the time of our inspection.

We inspected the service on 25 April 2017. The inspection was announced. At the time of our inspection 15 people were receiving a personal care service.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers (the ‘provider’) 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.

CQC is required by law to monitor how a provider applies the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and to report on what we find. Staff demonstrated their understanding of how to support people who lacked the capacity to make some decisions for themselves. Staff also knew how to recognise and report any concerns to keep people safe from harm.

People told us that they were highly satisfied with every aspect of the service they received. In particular, the provider’s careful approach to managing staffing resources which meant they were supported by the same staff on a consistent basis. Staff had established warm, friendly relationships with people and went out of their way to help them in any way they could. Staff worked together in a supportive way and participated in a varied programme of training appropriate to their needs. They enjoyed working for the provider and felt listened to by the registered manager and other senior staff.

People were involved in agreeing the type and amount of care they received and their needs and wishes were understood and followed by staff. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and encouraged them to maintain their independence. Staff had the knowledge and skills required to meet people’s individual needs effectively and supported them to prepare food and drink of their choice.

We identified a small number of areas in which improvement was needed to ensure people received safe, effective care. These related to record-keeping and other administrative processes rather than the delivery of hands-on care. Improvement was required in the recording of medicines administration, the completion of people’s individual risk assessments and in some aspects of staff recruitment procedures.

The registered manager displayed an open and responsive management style and was quick to acknowledge the areas for improvement we picked up in our inspection. She took personal responsibility for ensuring the required changes were addressed as a matter of priority.