We visited the Dimensions Bath Domiciliary Care Office on 3 May 2012 and spent the day at the service. Dimensions Bath Domiciliary Care Office supports people with learning and physical disabilities who live in their own home. Some people live in flats in shared houses within a supported living environment, and others might have housing association tenancy agreements. Most people have care 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week provided by Dimensions Bath support staff. Others have regular visits and care arrangements. We met and talked with one person supported by the service and spoke with three families about their experiences. We also met with the regional operations director, four team managers, a deputy manager/support worker and two support workers.
Most of the people who are supported by Dimensions Bath had profound physical and mental health needs and were not able to communicate with us easily. Apart from a short chat with one person, we were not able to capture people's views directly, but we talked with some of their families about their experiences of the care their relatives were given.
We were told by family members "staff are very committed" and "they listen to our point of view". One person said about their relative "he couldn't be happier" and "staff really understand him and are so keen to look after him". We were told one person was "in a good place and very settled. The staff are splendid".
The person we talked with said their care was good and they were happy. A close relative confirmed this to us and told us more about the person's care. We saw this was supported by the person's care plan.
We talked with eight members of staff and all staff said they enjoyed their work. We found they were committed, knowledgeable and experienced. A new member of staff told us they had a detailed and long induction period. We heard the organisation made sure all new staff had a structured induction and shadowed other staff for several months before working alone with people.
Staff told us they were well supported and would not hesitate to report concerns to senior staff. Staff said any concerns that had been raised had been dealt with effectively and to their satisfaction. We were told training was up-to-date as were staff supervisions and annual appraisals. Staff said training was relevant and gave them the tools to do their jobs.
We reviewed support plans and found they were extensive, but not yet fully complete in a few areas. The support plans had recently been revised and they were due to be completed by June 2012. Otherwise, the support plans were clear, detailed and mostly accurate.
We found the service has a strong governance system. The care provided was regularly monitored and assessed for quality and safety.