Kerrier Homecare Limited

Kerrier Home Care is a Domiciliary Care Agency that provides care and support to adults, in their own homes. The service provides help and support with people’s personal care needs in Redruth, Camborne, Penzance and surrounding areas. 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.

At the time of our inspection 67 people were receiving a personal care service. These services were funded either privately or through Cornwall Council or NHS funding. There were 35 staff employed some of those were office based to coordinate and manage the service.

There was a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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 using the service consistently told us they felt safe and staff were caring and treated them well. They told us staff were like their family and they trusted them implicitly. People said, “Yes, I know [relative] is safe because staff know what they are doing” and “I feel safe because I know someone is coming every day.”

Safeguarding procedures were in place and staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard people from abuse. Potential risks to people's safety and wellbeing had been assessed and managed.

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. These had been kept under review and were relevant to the care provided. Accidents and incidents were reported and reviewed to reduce the risk of an incident occurring again.

Medicine procedures were safe. The service supported people with their medicines by prompting them and in one instance administering them. Records showed when prompts had been made in the daily records at people’s homes. Where medicine was administered records were completed by staff.

Recruitment and selection was carried out safely with appropriate checks made before new staff could start working for the service. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience needed to care for people. They received training to carry out their role and were knowledgeable how to support and care for people. They had the skills, knowledge and experience to provide safe and effective support. People had been supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

People had a care plan that provided staff with direction and guidance about how to meet their individual needs and wishes. These care plans were regularly reviewed and any changes in people’s needs were communicated to staff. Assessments were carried out to identify any risks to the person using the service and to the staff supporting them. This included any environmental risks in people’s homes and any risks in relation to the care and support needs of the person.

People received care and support from a consistent team of staff with whom they were familiar. Staff arrived on time and stayed for the full time allocated. People spoke positively about the staff that supported them and told us they were always treated with care, respect and kindness. Staff were respectful of people’s privacy and maintained their dignity. Staff had developed good relationships with people and were familiar with their needs, routines and preferences.

Staff supported people to have a nutritious dietary and fluid intake, assisting them to prepare and eat food and drinks as they needed.

People had no complaints about the service they received or about the staff that provided their care and support; they were aware of the complaints procedure and processes and were confident they would be listened to should they raise any concerns.

Senior staff monitored the support staff provided to people. They checked staff arrived on time and supported people in the way people wanted. Audits of care records and risk assessments were carried out regularly. People and their relatives were encouraged to complete surveys about the quality of their care.

Kerrier Home Care 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 Redruth, Camborne, Penzance and surrounding areas. 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.

At the time of our inspection 30 people were receiving a personal care service. These services were funded either privately or 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 we spoke with told us they felt safe using the service and told us, “Very happy with the service” and “It’s a very good service.”

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. Care plans provided staff with clear direction and guidance about how to meet people’s individual needs and wishes.

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, comments included, “I trust staff to get it right” and “The staff are very good, they all work to the same standard.”

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, “They [the service] ring me to let me know if staff are running late” and “Reliable service, staff usually arrive on time.” A relative said, “We agreed the times of the visits.”

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. There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of people who used the service.

The 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 in the service, the management team provided strong leadership and led by example. The registered manager had clear visions and values about how they wished the service to be provided and these values were shared with the whole staff team. Staff told us, “Kerrier is brilliant, they care about the clients and staff” and “We are a really good team.”

There were effective quality assurance systems in place to make sure that any areas for improvement were identified and addressed. People and their families told us the management team was very approachable and they were included in decisions about the running of the service. People told us someone from the office rang and visited them regularly to ask about their views of the service and review the care and support provided. Staff were encouraged to challenge and question practice and were involved in making improvements to the service.