Archived: Mrs Mandy Hands/ta Hands on Care Wombourne

People told us they were able to express their views. They said that the staff took time to explain what they were going to do and asked permission to carry out the care. One person who used the service told us: 'They (the staff) are wonderful. I can't speak highly enough about them'. Another person said: 'The carers tell me what they are going to do and then ask if that's ok with me. They really listen to what I want'.

We saw that people had an assessment of their needs prior to using the service to ensure that the service could meet their needs.

We found that staff understood the signs of abuse and how to report any suspicions of abuse.

We checked records and found that improvements were required to ensure that staff were properly trained, supervised and appraised to meet the needs of the people who used the service.

Appropriate systems were in place to enable the quality of the service to be monitored on a regular basis.

The provider completed an assessment of people's needs before the care started. People had plans of care which identified the tasks that were needed and how people wanted their care providing. One person told us that they always had a regular care worker who understood their needs very well. One risk assessment was seen as an 'Accommodation Risk Assessment' on each care plan. No other risk assessments were seen such as manual handling, medication, falls etc. and this meant that risks were not being assessed or reviewed.

We asked the staff about their understanding of safeguarding and the staff we spoke with confirmed they had received the appropriate training.

There was a small staff team employed by the service and although they contacted the manager almost daily, there were no formal supervisions recorded. Staff had received training and were supported to obtain further qualifications.

The provider carried out spot checks on how the service was being delivered but this was not a formal, recorded system. This meant that there was no system to effectively monitor the quality of service that people who used the service received. Risks were not assessed and incidents were not reviewed.