29 September 2015
During a routine inspection
This was an announced inspection that took place on 29 September 2015.
The agency provides domiciliary care to people in their own home. The office is based in the Richmond area.
There was a registered manager in post. 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.
This was the first inspection since the agency moved premises and re-registered on 11 August 2015.
People said the agency provided a good service, they were satisfied with it and thought it felt safe to use, was effective and the staff were caring, responsive and well led.
The records kept were up to date and covered all aspects of the care and support people received and identified that their needs were met. They contained clearly recorded, fully completed, and regularly reviewed information that enabled staff to perform their duties well.
Staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported, the care that they required and were supported by the agency to provide it. They had appropriate skills and provided care and support in a professional, friendly and enabling way that was focussed on the individual.
The staff were well trained and said the organisation was flexible, a good one to work for and they enjoyed their work. They had access to training, and support.
People were encouraged to discuss health and other needs with staff and had agreed information passed on to their GP’s and other community based health professionals, as required.
Staff advised people using the service about healthy eating options and monitored their nutrition and hydration intake and any associated risks as required.
The agency staff knew about the Mental Capacity Act and their responsibilities regarding it.
People said the manager was approachable, responsive, encouraged feedback from them and consistently monitored and assessed the quality of the service provided.