We carried out a review of the data available to us about Sharon Brinkman Care Services Ltd on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Sharon Brinkman Care Services Ltd, you can give feedback on this 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.
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.