We carried out a review of the data available to us about Bowland Care Services 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 Bowland Care Services, you can give feedback on this service.
Bowland Care Services is a small family run domiciliary care service. The service operates from Garstang in Lancashire. Support is provided to people with differing needs in their own homes. The service can provide emergency support and accepts referrals from both individuals and the local authority. At the time of the inspection Bowland Care Services was providing regulated activity to 27 people.
People’s experience of using this service:
We were repeatedly told by people and relatives that Bowland Care Services continued to be very caring. Staff were motivated to make a difference and cared for people in ways that exceeded expectations.
There were high levels of satisfaction amongst people and relatives who used the service. Everyone we spoke with said they would recommend the service to others. The service was described as “exceptional” and “head and shoulders above the rest”. People repeatedly told us staff had made a difference in their lives and said staff routinely went above and beyond to ensure people were happy and safe.
The service was an important part of the community. The service had been recently awarded by the community for their efforts in making a difference to both the people they supported and the wider community. Professionals praised the strong links established by the management team within the community to improve the health and well-being of people in general. Their support was described an outstanding and invaluable.
People and relatives told us the service was very well-led. Leadership within the service was strong and focussed upon striving for and maintaining a caring, responsive and person-centred service.
The registered provider understood the importance of tackling social isolation and developing community links. People were supported to develop and maintain relationships and be active within their community.
There was an emphasis on multi-agency working to meet people’s health care needs. People, relatives and professionals said individuals who used Bowland Care Services developed and retained independence and experienced positive outcomes.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
There was an emphasis on ensuring people were supported by an experienced and qualified staff team who knew people well. People said they were assured staff were experienced and appropriately trained.
People told us they felt safe when being supported by staff. The registered provider understood the importance of creating a culture where people were free from abuse and harassment. Staff were aware of their responsibilities in reporting and responding to abuse and said they would not hesitate in reporting any unsafe or abusive practice.
We found risk was appropriately managed and addressed to minimise the risk of possible harm. When risks had been identified good practice guidance had been referred to, to promote safe and effective practice.
The registered provider worked proactively to ensure individual concerns were identified and acted upon before they became a complaint. People told us they had never had any reason to complain but were confident any complaints would be dealt with effectively and professionally should they ever need to.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection:
At the last inspection the service was rated good (published 16 November 2016). At this inspection carried out in May 2019, we found the service had improved to outstanding.
Why we inspected:
This was a planned and scheduled inspection.
Follow up:
The next scheduled inspection will be in keeping with the overall rating. We will continue to monitor information we receive from and about the service. We may inspect sooner if we receive concerning information about the service.
Bowland Care Service is a family run domiciliary care service. The service operates from Garstang in Lancashire. Support is provided to people with differing needs in their own homes. The service can provide emergency support and accepts referrals from both individuals and the local authority. At the time of inspection the registered provider was supporting 32 people.
There was a registered person in place. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The registered provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure someone would be in at the office.
The service was last inspected on 05 November 2013. We identified no concerns at this inspection and found the registered provider was meeting all standards we assessed.
At this inspection carried out September 2016, people were extremely complimentary about the quality of service provided. Feedback was consistently positive. Staff were described as exceptional and always willing to go the extra mile. One person told us, “I believe that they go the extra mile to make sure that their clients are safe, comfortable and well cared for.”
There was a consistent person centre culture within the service. Staff demonstrated commitment to promoting positive outcomes for people. This enabled people to maintain their independence. People told us they were treated with compassion and empathy. Staff provided us with various examples of when the caring relationship had extended outside of the professional relationship. Staff spoke extremely fondly of people using the services and referred to the ‘strong bonds’ they had developed with people. Relatives repeatedly praised the way in which additional support was provided to both their family members and themselves.
The registered provider worked to ensure independence was encouraged and promoted through innovative means.
The registered provider had empathy for informal carers. Support and guidance was extended out to people’s wider family who had a caring role.
People were protected from risk of abuse. Staff had knowledge of safeguarding procedures and were aware of their responsibilities for reporting any concerns.
Suitable recruitment procedures meant staff were correctly vetted before starting employment. Staff retention was good and people said they benefited from staff who knew them well.
Suitable arrangements were in place for managing and administering medicines. Risks to managing medicines were addressed and suitable arrangements were put in place when people could not self-administer.
Links with health and social care professionals were developed and maintained to enable people to have improved timely access to medical services. The service placed an emphasis on health promotion as a means to enable people to stay in their own homes and reduce hospital admissions.
People’s healthcare needs were monitored. Care plans were developed and maintained for people who used the service. Care plans covered support needs and personal wishes. Plans were reviewed and updated at regular intervals and information was sought from appropriate professionals as and when required.
Risks were monitored and addressed in a timely manner to promote people’s safety.
Training for staff was provided from a variety of sources to enable them to carry out their tasks proficiently. Staff praised the training provided.
People said they were supported at appropriate times to meet their nutritional needs. Strategies were used to promote healthy eating where appropriate.
The service had implemented a range of assurance systems to monitor quality and effectiveness of the service provided. Regular feedback was gained from all parties as a means to develop and improve the service. People continually praised the service provided.
Staff were very positive about ways in which the service was managed and the support received from the management team. They described a positive working environment with a high emphasis on teamwork.
The staff and manager were praised and everyone said the service met their needs. One relative said, 'It's such a relief to have a company that I know are truly looking out for my (relative)'s welfare.'
Staff and people who used the service said they were supported to be kept safe.
Staff we spoke with said they enjoyed their job. One member of staff said, 'I've worked in care before and this is the best company I've worked for.' Another said, 'My job is brilliant, I love it.'
People we spoke with said they had continued opportunities to feedback on the service they received. We were told the manager regularly does a shift on the rota and always asks if things are going ok. We saw formal feedback had been collected by way of a customer satisfaction survey.