5 October 2017
During a routine inspection
Transform Homecare North West Surrey is a domiciliary care service providing personal care for people with a variety of needs including older persons, people with learning disabilities and people with mental health support needs. The service supported 34 people at the time of our inspection, 29 of who were receiving personal care.
A registered manager was in post and supported us during our inspection. 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.
People told us they felt safe with the staff providing their support. Staff were aware of the risks to people’s safety and well-being and understood the precautions they needed to take to keep people safe. The support people received was reviewed following accidents and incidents and additional control measures implemented to keep people safe where required. Staff understood their responsibilities in safeguarding people from potential abuse and ensured any concerns were reported. The provider had developed a contingency plan to ensure people would continue to receive the support they required in the event of an emergency.
People told us they received weekly schedules to inform them which staff would be supporting them. Records confirmed that staff arrived on time for care calls and stayed for the required duration of the call. Safe recruitment processes were in place to help ensure that only suitable staff were employed. Staff employed received an induction prior to working on their own and received on-going support and supervision from the senior management team. Staff completed a comprehensive training programme and told us this gave them the skills required within their role.
People received their medicines safely although topical medicines were not always fully recorded. The provider had taken action to address this concern. People received support to access healthcare professionals when required and staff were aware of people’s on-going healthcare needs. Staff had received training regarding the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and systems were in place to ensure people’s legal rights were protected.
People told us that staff treated them with kindness and took time to talk with them. Staff knew people well and we observed positive interaction between people and staff. People told us that staff respected their dignity when providing personal care and encouraged them to maintain their independence. Staff ensured people were offered choices regarding their daily routines. Where people were supported to prepare meals people told us this was done in line with their preferences.
Assessments were completed prior to people being offered a service to ensure their needs could be met. People and their relatives were involved in the assessment and care planning process. Staff were aware of people’s care needs and life histories and any changes required were implemented in a timely manner. People’s care was regularly discussed with them to ensure they continued to receive the support they required.
The provider and registered manager had identified that care records were not always up to date and provided an action plan on how they intended to address this concern. However, due to the personalised nature of the service this did not impact on the care people received. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. Annual surveys were sent to both people using the service and to staff. Both showed a high level of satisfaction with the service provided. There was a complaints policy in place and people and relatives told us they would feel confident in raising any concerns with the registered manager. Staff told us they felt supported in their role and felt there was a positive culture within the organisation.