- Homecare service
Careline Homecare (Rotherham)
Assessment report published 24 June 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 9 June to 20 June 2025. The service is a care at home service providing support to adults of all ages living with a range of different needs including dementia, physical disabilities and learning disabilities. At the time of the assessment, the service provided personal care and support to 99 people. We assessed the service because of age of the rating and the time since the last assessment. We looked at all 5 key questions and we assessed all of the quality statements in each of the key questions. This assessment included a site visit to the provider’s main office and offsite gathering and review of evidence. We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities most people take for granted.
There was a learning culture in the organisation. Accidents and incidents were reported appropriately and information was analysed and reviewed to identify lessons learned. The provider made sure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services. The provider made appropriate referrals to the local safeguarding adults team to keep people safe and people’s capacity to make decisions was assessed in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Risks associated with people’s care and support needs were assessed and mitigated appropriately. These risk assessments were reviewed regularly. The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. Members of staff confirmed they had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and they knew how to use it appropriately. Administration of medication was managed safely and people were supported to take their medications safely.
People's care plans were detailed and comprehensive and their needs were clearly assessed and identified. Care was delivered in line with care plans. Members of staff provided care and support which was in line with good practice guidance and standards. There were good relationships and communication with local health and care professionals which ensured care and support was joined up and met people's needs. The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. People were asked to give feedback about how their care was provided to make sure it met their expectations. Members of staff confirmed they asked people for consent before providing personal care and support.
Members of staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. People's care plans were personalised and specific to them. Members of staff understood how to treat people as individuals and provided care and support in line with their needs and preferences. People were encouraged to maintain their independence. Family members described how the provider had responded proactively when their relative’s needs changed. We saw examples where calls had been flexible to accommodate a change of need. The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.
The provider made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs. The provider made referrals to community-based health and care services to ensure people's changing health needs were being met. People had access to a service user guide which gave contact numbers and clear answers to commonly asked questions and scenarios. Members of staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. People and their family members knew how to seek advice or raise concerns and felt confident to do so. People received care and support at the times which were convenient for them and members of staff were flexible and accommodated changes when people made requests. The provider supported people to maintain healthy relationships with family and friends and members of staff worked with them to maintain these links. There were arrangements in place to gather information about people’s individual needs, especially their preferences for the support they would like in the future.
The provider had a clear vision for the service which focussed on person-centred care and support. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. Members of staff felt supported by the management team and confirmed they received supervision and support sessions. Regular team meetings supported and promoted workforce equality, diversity and inclusion. A comprehensives system of quality checks, audits and reviews was in place which enabled the registered manager to monitor and review performance and quality across the service. The registered manager acknowledged the importance of working in partnership with others to ensure people received consistently goof quality care and support. The registered manager demonstrated a good understanding of using feedback and lessons learned to support continuous improvement and development of the service.
People's experience of this service
People told us they or their relatives were safe with members of staff from the service. People shared examples of things which reassured them. For example, a family member told us the provider had been involved in contacting a social worker on the servicer user’s behalf to put things in place for them. They told us, “[Relative] has been happy with the [members of staff] and the level of care they have had. [Relative] has not been upset by anybody. It’s reassuring to know they’re happy with [the care and support].” People were supported to take their medicines safely. A family member said, “They give [relative] their medication. I know there is a log where [members of staff] write stuff. It’s an online thing. I believe it’s all logged down.” Although some people saw the same members of staff, others did not. There was evidence teams of carers attended on a rota basis. This did not affect people’s care and support and people were not dissatisfied with seeing different members of staff. A family member said, “[The staff team] rotate with different [members of staff]. [Relative] is more than happy for them to come. They are very satisfied with them. There is about half a dozen [members of staff].” One person told us, “I’ve got a regular [member of staff] who comes. When they go on holiday or if they go somewhere then I get a different [member of staff].” Members of staff arrived on time. If there were delays, people said they were contacted. One person said the provider had adjusted the time of the first morning call to be more convenient for [the person]. There was evidence members of staff contributed towards people maintaining independence. Members of staff encouraged people to do things for themselves and to make choices. There was evidence where people were no longer able to do things in the same way, members of staff provided an alternative solution. One person told us they felt supported to maintain their independence, “I’ve got my own [mobility aid]. If there’s stuff I can’t do, if they’re allowed to do it, they’ll do it. I can do most of the stuff myself so it’s not too bad.” Another person told us they were maintaining the support from the provider so they didn’t have to stay in hospital as long waiting for care to be found to support them, “I am having my knees replaced. I have kept [the provider] on while I have the other knee done.” We heard care plans had been developed by the provider with input from people and their family members. Copies were kept in people’s homes. A family member told us, “[The provider] set up the care plan. We’ve got a copy of it.” People confirmed they had been visited by members of the management on a number of occasions for different reasons such as setting up or reviewing care plans and gathering information for performance and quality monitoring. One person told us, “Everybody that’s been round have been pretty good, both the [members of staff] that do the work and the [management team].” A family member summed their view of the service and told us, “We’re more than happy with [the provider]. [The members of staff] are lovely. We can have a laugh and joke with them.” One person told us about the service and said, “I can’t fault them really. [Members of staff] are very good at what they do. They make me feel at ease and alright.”