Archived: Lotus Care

Sydni Centre (also known as Lotus Care) is a domiciliary care service which is registered to provide personal care support to people in their own homes. At the time of our visit the service supported 155 people with personal care and employed 63 care workers.

A new manager had joined the service on the day of our inspection. The manager told us they were planning to submit an application to us so they can be ‘registered’. A requirement of the provider’s registration is that they have a registered manager. 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 received their care visits from care workers they knew. Care calls were consistently made at, and for the length of the time agreed. There were enough care workers to provide all planned care visits to meet people’s needs effectively and people were satisfied with the service they received.

Staff had been recruited safely and received a comprehensive induction when they began working at the service to prepare them for their role. Care workers received training the provider considered essential to meet people’s needs. Care workers practices were regularly checked to make sure they worked in line with the provider’s policies and procedures.

People and relatives told us they felt safe using the service. Risks to people’s safety were assessed. However, some risk assessments lacked the detail care workers needed to ensure they kept people and themselves safe. Known risks were not always recorded in care plans. Action was being taken to address this. Despite the omissions in records care workers understood the risks associated with people’s care and how these should be managed.

The provider had developed systems to gather feedback from people so they could use the information to improve the quality of the service provided. People saw health professionals when needed. Support was given to people who required help with eating and drinking. Systems were in place to manage people’s medicines safely and staff had received training to do this.

The manager understood their responsibility to comply with the relevant requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People made their own decisions about their care and support. Care workers gained people’s consent before they provided personal care and respected people’s decisions. Staff had been trained to understand how to protect people from abuse.

People’s privacy and dignity was respected by care workers. Where possible, care workers encouraged people to be independent. People told us care workers had a caring attitude and had the right skills and experience to provide the care and support required.

People were involved in how their care and support was planned and delivered. Care records provided staff with information about people’s backgrounds, preferences and needs to enable them to provide personalised care and build relationships with people.

The provider had established procedures to check and monitor the quality and safety of the service people received. However, these were not always effective and required further improvement.

Staff felt supported and valued by the management team who were accessible and responsive. Complaints were managed in line with the provider’s policy.

Sydni Centre is a domiciliary care agency which is registered to provide personal care support to people in their own homes. At the time of our visit the agency supported approximately 97 people with personal care and employed 62 care workers.

At the time of this inspection the location was registered with us in the name of the Sydni Centre. However, the provider told us the location was more widely known as Lotus Care. The provider confirmed they had submitted an application to us for the name of the location to be changed to Lotus Care.

A requirement of the provider’s registration is that they have a registered manager. 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. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager at the service. We refer to the registered manager as the manager in the body of this report.

There were enough care workers to provide care to people and the service was making improvements to ensure people had consistent care workers. People had different experiences about the times care workers arrived, most people told us care workers did not arrive at the times agreed. People said regular care workers stayed the agreed length of time and knew how they liked to receive their care.

Care workers received training the provider considered essential to meet people’s needs safely and effectively. Care workers practice was checked to make sure they worked in line with the provider’s policies and procedures. Care workers felt supported by the management team and completed an induction when they joined the service

People and relatives told us they felt safe using the service and care workers understood how to protect people from abuse. Staff understood the risks associated with people’s care and consistently followed processes to minimise risks to people’s safety. Checks were carried out prior to care workers starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service.

The managers had an understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and their responsibilities under the act. Care workers gained people’s consent before they provided care and support. Care workers respected people’s choices and decisions. However, where people did not have capacity to make some decisions information was not always clearly recorded.

People told us care workers were caring and had the right skills and experience to provide the care and support required. People were supported with dignity and respect. Care workers encouraged people to be independent where possible.

People who required support had enough to eat and drink and were assisted to manage their health needs. Care workers referred people to other professionals if they had any concerns about their health and well-being. Systems were in place to manage people’s medicines safely and staff had received training to do this.

Care records were up to date and gave care workers the information needed to ensure care and support was provided in the way people preferred. People and relatives were involved in planning their care.

There were systems to monitor and review the quality and safety of service. People and relatives were able to share their views of the service they received, however the provider did not always use this feedback to make improvements to the service. People and relatives knew how to complain but were not always satisfied with way their complaints were managed.