The Care Quality Commission
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  • Homecare service

Archived: Flexserve UK Limited

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

363 Lee Valley Technopark, Ashley Road, London, N17 9LN (020) 3551 8750

Provided and run by:
Flexserve UK Limited

Important: This service is now registered at a different address - see new profile

All Inspections

28th January 2015

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on the 28 January and was announced. At our last inspection in August 2013 the service was meeting the required standards.

Flexserve UK Limited provides support and personal care for adults with a particular focus on reablement. At the time of our inspection 19 people were using the service.

The service had a registered manager who had been in post since the service started in April 2011. 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’s needs were assessed and care plans were developed to identify what care and support people required. People said they were involved in their care planning and were happy to express their views or raise concerns. When people’s needs changed, this was quickly identified and prompt, appropriate action was taken to ensure people’s well-being was protected. People using the service told us they had a copy of their care plan in their home.

People using the service told us they felt safe. Staff understood how to recognise the signs and symptoms of potential abuse and told us they would report any concerns they may have to their manager.

The registered manager told us that assessments were undertaken to assess any risks to the people using the service and the staff supporting them. This included environmental risks and any risks due to people’s health and support needs. The risk assessments we viewed included information about action to be taken to minimise these of risks.

People said they found the staff polite and respectful. Staff were respectful of people’s privacy and maintained their dignity. Staff told us they gave people privacy whilst they undertook aspects of personal care, asking people how they would like things done and making enquiries as to their well-being to ensure people were comfortable.

We found however that there was no system of monitoring when a staff member’s training needed to be updated and some staff had not received any formal training whilst working with the agency.

We have made a recommendation about this in the main body of the report..

We saw that regular visits and phone calls had been made by the registered manager to all of the people using the service and/or their relatives in order to obtain feedback about the staff and the care provided.

24 September 2013

During a routine inspection

At the time of the inspection, Flexserve provided home care support to ten people in north London. We spoke with three people who used the service or their representatives, two care workers and the registered manager.

People told us they were given choices and that they or their family member's preferences were listened to. People told us that they had good experience of care. We looked at six files with care plans and risk assessments for people who used the service and saw that they were up to date with relevant information.

We saw that care workers had completed training in safeguarding and the care workers we spoke with knew how to respond to safeguarding concerns. We saw that Flexserve had dealt appropriately with safeguarding concerns when they had arisen.

Staff told us they felt supported by the management. We saw that people received regular supervision and staff told us they felt they were able to raise concerns as necessary.

We saw that the provider kept in regular contact with people who used their services and people told us they were able to feedback information. One person told us how the service made a change to their care worker following feedback.

31 January 2013

During a routine inspection

This was the first inspection of this service, which had only recently commenced providing care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection four people were using the domiciliary care service. We had the opportunity to speak with three of them.

People were very positive about the service, indicating that they were provided with the care that they need, and were given choices about the support they received.

One person told us that the staff were 'very courteous, and very nice to be with,' others noted that 'the staff are very good,' and the manager 'is very helpful - she cares about the customers and the carers.'

People had formed good and supportive relationships with staff and management, and felt able to speak up about any concerns that they might have. They were supported to access healthcare professionals when needed, and to undertake activities in their own homes and in the community.

Appropriate staff recruitment procedures were in place and staff received effective support and supervision from management. A training plan was in place to ensure that all staff worked in line with best practice. Quality assurance procedures were being put in place to ensure that people received a high standard of care and support.