We carried out a review of the data available to us about Whispers Care Solutions Limited on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Whispers Care Solutions Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
About the service
Whispers Care Solutions Limited is a domiciliary care provider. At the time of this inspection 167 people received personal care support from the service. The service supported younger and older people, some of who were living with dementia, within their own homes. The service also offered a complex care service for people with more higher levels of need working with multidisciplinary teams.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People felt safe using the service. Systems were in place to protect people from abuse. There were enough staff to keep people safe, although some people felt calls were not always on time and raised concerns about the continuity of care workers who provided their care.
There were plans in place for foreseeable emergencies. Risks concerned with people’s health care and the environment were assessed and reduced as far as was practicable. However, some risk management records would benefit from being more comprehensive and complete.
People were supported to take their medicines safely. Staff were provided with training and checked to ensure they were following correct procedures.
Most staff felt supported by the provider and registered manager and could visit the office to discuss any concerns. Staff were enthusiastic about their jobs and showed care and understanding for the people they supported.
There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. This helped ensure people received personalised care in a way that met their individual needs.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible, and in their best interests. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was good (published 23 November 2018).
Why we inspected
We received concerns in relation to staffing concerns. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
The service had an experienced registered manager. 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.
There was a clear leadership and management structure in place which helped to ensure that the service was able to deliver effective care and that staff at all levels were clear about their role and responsibilities.
The registered manager and provider worked closely and effectively as a team and a hands-on approach which was valued by staff.
Staff were very positive about the leadership team who they said were approachable, accessible and supportive.
The registered manager and provider acted as excellent role models for the staff team and championed the importance of person centred care.
The registered manager and provider had fostered a positive culture within the staff team and staff were thanked and praised for performing their role well.
The registered manager and provider were committed to developing and upskilling their staff team and encouraging them to reach their potential.
The registered manager and provider were passionate about the service and had a clear vision for its future.
Quality assurance checks such as spot checks of the competency of care workers and audits of their record keeping were carried out on a regular basis which helped to maintain good practice
People told us they were supported by staff who were kind and caring. Staff displayed a genuine desire to enhance people's wellbeing and to developing positive relationships with the people they cared for. Care staff had an excellent understanding of the importance of promoting people's independence and supporting them to retain as much control as possible. People were treated with respect and the support they received helped to maintain their dignity.
The registered manager and provider had fostered an open and transparent culture within the service. They were passionate about the service and had a clear vision for its future. They acted as a good role model for the staff team and championed the importance of developing their staff team to person centred care.
People felt safe when being supported by the care workers. Risk assessments were undertaken to assess any risks to people who received a service and to the care workers who supported them.
Medicines were managed safely. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and had a good understanding of the signs of abuse and neglect and of how to report any concerns they might have about people.
Most people’s feedback about the timeliness and consistency of their calls was positive. Some felt this was an area where further improvements could be made as did some staff. There was evidence that the provider and registered manager were continuing to try and address this.
A range of recruitment checks took place before staff started working at the service.
Staff understood their responsibility to raise concerns and record incidents and accidents that occurred. There was evidence that lessons had been learned and improvements made when things had gone wrong.
Staff received training on infection control. Personal protective equipment (PPE), such as disposable gloves, hand sanitiser and aprons were readily available for staffs use.
Staff supported people to have maximum choice and control of their lives. We have made a recommendation about how consent is recorded and which records are retained in relation to this.
A programme of induction and training was provided which equipped staff with the skills to perform their role. We have however, made a recommendation about the frequency with which some training is repeated.
Staff had regular supervision and an annual appraisal. This helped to ensure staff understood their responsibilities.
People were supported to maintain good nutrition and staff liaised with health and social care professionals involved in people’s care if their health or support needs changed.
Staff were provided with the information they needed to meet people’s needs in a person-centred manner. This helped staff to develop their relationship with the person and provide responsive care.
The service had a complaints policy and information about how to raise concerns or complaints about the quality of care provided was readily available to people using the service.