All inspections: Careline CC Ltd (Shaftesbury)

One person who used the service told us; "My support plan was already agreed with my social worker, however the manager went through it to make sure it was what I needed and whether anything else should be included. They definitely listen to what I have to say."

A relative of a person who used the service told us; "The quality of staff is second to none. It is a hundred times better than another agency. No rushing, they take their time."

We found care staff had access to current policies and procedures that gave clear guidance on how to escalate any concerns.

We sampled five personal files of care staff and found staff were appropriately trained to undertake their roles and responsibilities.Care was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare.

One member of staff told us; "I feel I have excellent support from my manager. I have worked for other agencies but i am happy here."

The manager explained that formal audits were yet to be undertaken, however it was clear that the service had implemented a system to monitor the standard of the quality of the care provided.

We visited this domiciliary care service unannounced on 8 October 2012. We spoke with staff, looked at records and spoke with people being cared for in their home.

We spoke with six people who receive care and support from the service. One person told us that staff were "extremely good". They said the staff always wear gloves and an apron when providing personal care.

We found that in all areas the provider had improved since the last inspection. New procedures have been put in place to involve people in the care planning process. We found that individual needs were now being met. Staff we spoke with told us that communication between them and the office was good. One care worker told us 'We always get a text message or the office telephones us if new information about people is received'.

People told us that staff usually arrive on time. Another said 'I am sent a weekly list of times I have agreed. If staff are late I can telephone the office or the on-call supervisor'. Three people told us they had completed a feedback questionnaire recently.

Staff we spoke with said they knew how to raise safeguarding concerns and people told us that they felt safe when staff were in their home. One person told us 'You can have a laugh. It's better than being alone'.

One person told us 'There is a lot more training and paperwork being done. Cleanliness and hygiene is much improved'.

We spoke with a person who told us the staff "Were lovely and very caring".

One person told us that staff usually arrive on time but the staff do not have travelling time in between visits so this can sometimes have a knock-on effect, making call times late. Another person told us that staff provide care that was needed but they are too busy to chat.

Two people told us they felt safe when the agency care staff were in their home.

We spoke with three people who receive care and support from the agency that staff always wear gloves and apron when providing personal care.

One person we spoke with, who receives care told us that they are confident that care staff know what they are doing. They also told us they would not hesitate to phone the office if there was a problem. People we spoke with could not recall completing a feedback questionnaire.

We found that in most areas the provider had not improved the service since our last inspection. We were unable to see documentary evidence that people were involved in the care planning process. People's preference about how their care was delivered was not respected.

The care and support of people was not planned and delivered to meet individual needs to ensure their safety and welfare. People using the service had not had their health and support needs fully assessed and when there is a change in a person's condition the planning and delivery of care was not updated to reflect this change.

People are not protected against the risks of cross infection and the infection control procedures that are in place do not meet current national guidance.

We visited the agency unannounced on 22 March 2012 following concerns being raised anonymously. We spoke with the relatives of two people and four people who used the service.

Two people told us that they were happy with the care from the agency and that staff meet their care needs and listened to how they liked their care to be provided.

Two relatives told us that staff were unreliable and did not always arrive at the time they were expected. One relative told us that many times especially over weekends staff did not arrive at all.

Pre-employment checks of staff were not consistent and could put people who used the service at risk.

Two staff we spoke with told us that they had not received mandatory training to undertake their role safely and effectively.

Records held by the agency were poorly maintained, incorrectly stored and in some cases incomplete.

Archived: Careline CC Ltd (Shaftesbury)

All Inspections

28 August 2013

During a routine inspection

8 October 2012

During an inspection looking at part of the service

12 June 2012

During an inspection looking at part of the service

22 March 2012

During an inspection in response to concerns