Archived: Kingston Domiciliary Care Agency

Relatives we spoke with confirmed that they and the person who used the service had been involved in the care planning process and also engaged in the decisions made. One person said, 'We were involved in the process of care package planning'. We found that assessments considered people's individual circumstances and their immediate and long term needs. and that risk assessments were carried out for all support activities provided.

Relatives we spoke with expressed different opinions to us about the support their family received. One person said, 'The best care we have ever had'. In contrast another person said, 'Not the best in the world, sometimes lacking'.

Training records demonstrated that staff had undertaken mandatory protection of vulnerable adults (POVA) safeguarding training. We saw that appropriate checks had been carried out prior to staff commenced employment and that a comprehensive training programme was in place. People who used the service were invited to complete an annual satisfaction survey this included an easy read version.

As a result, this agency provided a non-typical domiciliary care service in that it did not provide the traditional support of assisting people with intensive personal care in their family home but instead provided staff support to people who lived in supported housing owned by other organisations such as social housing landlords or local authority. Other support included assisting people who lived with their families to access community services.

Within this context we found that the agency ensured that regular contact was maintained with people and external management audits included meeting staff and people who received care. Feedback questionnaires were received at regular intervals and provided the agency with comments on the quality of service and we saw that most comments were positive.

The agency ensured that staff recruitment checks and training took place. Guidance and information to both care workers and people who used the service was clear and designed to enable full involvement of people in planning and reviewing their care needs.

We found that records and other processes were appropriately held and kept securely and confidentially.