13 June 2014
During a routine inspection
We visited the agency's office and spoke with the manager of the service, looked at care records for a person that used the service and other records related to the running of the agency. After the visit we also spoke by telephone with a relative of a person that used the service, a social worker and a care worker.
If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read our full report.
Is the service safe?
We saw that safeguarding procedures are robust and care workers understood how to safeguard people they supported.
Systems were in place to make sure that managers and care workers/nurses learn from events such as accidents and incidents, complaints, concerns, whistleblowing and investigations. We saw these systems were in place and the manager told us who they would develop these as the service expanded. This reduces the risks to people and helps the service to continually improve.
A care worker we spoke with knew about risk management plans and told us of examples where they would follow them. They knew what steps to take to ensure people were not put at unnecessary risk.
The registered manager sets the care workers and nurses' rotas. They were taking people's care needs into account when making decisions about the numbers of staff needed, this based on assessment of the person's needs and listening to what the person's relative told them. We found that changes had been made following comment from a person's relative. They told us that the consistency of the care, 'Could have been better' but they were now involved in meeting and vetting the staff before they provide care and support to the person. They acknowledged progress was being made. This means that the agency was working towards ensuring that people's needs are always met.
Recruitment practice is safe and thorough. No staff had been subject to disciplinary action. Policies and procedures are in place to make sure that unsafe practice is identified and people are protected.
The agency had polices on consent and the manager and a care worker understood how they should gain the consent of the person they cared for and supported.
Is the service effective?
People's health and care needs were assessed with them, and their representatives were involved in contributing to their plan of care. Specialist health care needs had been identified where required and the way needed to respond to these were detailed in the person's care records.
Is the service caring?
We spoke with a representative of a person being supported by the service. We asked them for their opinions about the staff that supported them. Feedback reflected that there had been some difficulties but the manager was listening to the representative and changes were made to provide care workers and nurses that were appropriately skilled and knowledgeable to offer the care and support expected. A social worker we spoke with said the agency, 'Have gone to great lengths to meet X's needs'.
When speaking with a care worker, they showed a genuine interest in caring for the person they were supporting.
The manager had systems in place to ensure people that used the service, their relatives and other professionals involved with the service would be able to complete satisfaction surveys. We saw that the manager responded to shortfalls or concerns when raised and was developing the service to address these.
People's preferences, interests, aspirations and diverse needs had been recorded and care and support was been developed and provided in accordance with people's wishes.
Is the service responsive?
People knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy. We saw that the agency had looked into a concern recently and was making changes to ensure there was no repeat of the issues. We looked at this investigation which had been completed in accordance with the agency's complaints policy. People can be assured that complaints are investigated and action taken as necessary.
Is the service well-led?
The service has a quality assurance system, and records showed that identified problems and opportunities to change things for the better were being addressed. A health professional we spoke with told us the manager, 'Would feedback'.
As a result the quality of the service was continuously improving. A care worker we spoke with told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. They had a good understanding of the needs of the person they visited, and said that they had been helped by the induction from the agency. This helped to ensure that people received a good quality service at all times.