Archived: Holistic Community Care - Bexley Branch

We checked to see whether the provider had taken action following our previous inspection and found that the provider had made the required improvements. People's care needs were assessed and care was appropriately planned and delivered. We found from a variety of sources that care staff were in most cases reliable and delivered care in accordance with people's needs. We found care rotas had been planned to ensure people received a consistency of care. The provider had also improved their quality assurance systems which now included telephone spot checks, electronic call monitoring, a customer survey, responses to complaints and observational spot check on care staff.

People told us they were sometimes involved in assessments and care planning, and that they received appropriate care. People also told us they were satisfied with the way they were supported with their medication. However, they said there were sometimes inconsistencies with the staff that cared for them and the timings of their visits.

We found the provider had made improvements to care assessments and assessing risks since our last inspection, as well as improvements to staff support and training. We also found the provider managed people's medication adequately. However, there were problems with the timing of visits and the consistency of care staff, and the provider's quality assurance processes were not sufficiently robust.

We found that people were involved and were able to make decisions about their care. People were in general treated with dignity and respect. Care staff encouraged people to maintain their independence. People's needs were assessed and care was planned to meet their needs. Some risk assessments lacked detail and in some areas risks were not assessed to ensure staff maintained their safety. The provider had policies and procedures in place for safeguarding vulnerable adults and whistle-blowing. Staff recruitment was satisfactory. Staffing levels were inadequate at the weekends to ensure a quality service was provided. Staff were not always appropriately supported and there were shortfalls identified with training and supervision. The provider maintained records which ensured people received appropriate care.