Maiden Care Services Limited

Maiden Care Service is a domiciliary care service. The service is registered to provide care and support for older people and younger adults who may experience dementia, sensory impairments, learning disabilities, physical impairments or mental health issues.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found:

People were safe and protected from avoidable harm because staff understood how to identify and report any concerns relating to the risk of abuse. Risks to people`s health, safety and well-being were assessed, and measures put in place to remove or reduce the risks. People were supported by staff who had been safely recruited.

People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff received appropriate training and had their competency assessed to help ensure they were sufficiently skilled and knowledgeable in this area. Staff had received training in infection control practices and personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons was provided for them. The management team took appropriate actions following any incidents and learning was shared with the staff team.

Before care delivery started the provider completed assessments to help make sure people’s needs could be met by Maiden Care Services Limited. Care plans were developed from these assessments for each person’s identified needs and staff had clear guidance on how to meet those needs. Staff received training and support to enable them to carry out their roles effectively.

People said staff prepared simple meals for them as needed and encouraged them to take fluids to maintain their health and wellbeing. Staff and the registered manager knew people well and were able to promptly identify when people’s needs changed, and they sought professional advice appropriately. Staff were proactive in identifying if people were unwell and contacted appropriate healthcare professionals as needed. 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 and their relatives praised the kind and caring nature of staff. People received consistent care from a small team of staff. Staff helped to relieve people’s distress and discomfort, and supported people to maintain personal relationships. People knew about their care plans and could decide what care and support they needed. People’s records were held securely in a locked cabinet within a locked office to help promote confidentiality.

People told us they had not had cause to complain but would be confident to raise any concerns with the management. Everyone we spoke with during this inspection was satisfied with the care and support they received. The registered manager was committed to providing high quality care to the people they supported as well as the staff team and understood their responsibilities under the Duty of Candour. People, their relatives and staff members spoke highly of the registered manager and said they were always available and supportive. People told us that they were often asked for their views about the quality of the service.

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 05 April 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.

Maiden Care Services Limited provides personal care for people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection three people were receiving a service from them.

The service had a manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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. In this instance the registered manager was also the provider.

We found that further development was needed for their medicines records to allow effective auditing and recruitment processes to ensure they were meeting current requirements.

People told us they felt safe and their individual risks were assessed and managed. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs who were trained and supervised appropriately.

People’s consent was sought before care was offered and the registered manager and staff were familiar with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a healthy diet and health professionals were contacted on people’s behalf if needed.

People were treated with dignity and respect and were involved in planning and reviewing their care. Their confidentiality was promoted as records were held securely.

People received personalised care that met their needs and their care plans gave clear guidance for staff. There was effective communication between colleagues and the management team to help ensure staff had up to date information.

People were supported with interests and social interaction and this was adapted when their needs changed. There had been no complaints to review but people knew who to speak with if they had a complaint.

People knew the registered manager and said the service was well run. Staff were also positive about the registered manager. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. These were being developed further to support an increase in people who used the service when needed.