We carried out a review of the data available to us about Clarity Homecare Ashford 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 Clarity Homecare Ashford, you can give feedback on this service.
Clarity Homecare is a domiciliary service providing personal care to people in their own homes. 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. At the time of our inspection there were 48 people using the service with seven receiving support with personal care relating to their physical conditions.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People we spoke with told us the service was safe, had a positive impact on them and was well led. One person told us, “I did have a long struggle in finding a service that would support me the way I wanted to be supported until I found this one.” And “I think with the help of the staff I have really moved forward.”
People were supported to remain safe with staff who could recognise potential signs of abuse and take correct action. Care plans detailed people’s needs and risks had been identified and assessed.
People were supported by staff who had been recruited safely, arrived on time and helped people to maximise their independence. Staff wore personal protective equipment to reduce risk of infection.
The registered manager, manager and staff had an open and transparent approach to learning lessons when things had gone wrong, reported incidents to the Care Quality Commission and raised safeguarding alerts to the local authority when required.
There was a positive culture amongst the service. People were complimentary of the management team and staff felt supported in their role. Regular checks and audits of the service were completed to ensure people were receiving good quality care and action was taken to improve this going forward as necessary.
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 September 2019)
Why we inspected
We received concerns in relation to staffing and the quality of care people were receiving. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.
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.
Clarity Homecare is a domiciliary service which provides personal care to people living in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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. At the time of the inspection three people were being supported with personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and their relatives told us they felt safe using the service. A relative commented, “[My loved one] is very safe. It is total peace of mind having Clarity coming in.” People were protected from the risks of discrimination and abuse. Risks to people’s health and well-being were assessed and measures taken to reduce the risk of harm. People were supported by regular staff who had been recruited safely. Staff completed regular training and kept up to date with best practice. Staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager who mentored them.
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; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People’s needs were holistically assessed before they began using the service. Physical, mental health and social care needs were regularly reviewed. Staff worked closely with health care professionals, such as GPs, occupational therapists and community nurses, to make sure people received effective joined-up care.
People, relatives and health care professional felt the registered manager and staff were kind and caring. People told the registered manager about their life history and things and people that were important to them. This was recorded and shared with staff so they were able to discuss familiar topics with people. People were encouraged to remain as independent as possible and people told us the staff supported them with the things they needed and were not task orientated.
People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs. Their needs and preferences were clearly recorded and regularly reviewed. People and their relatives told us they knew how to complain and had confidence in the registered manager to resolve any issues. There had not been any complaints since the service was registered with CQC.
People and their relatives told us they would recommend the service to others and they felt it was well-run. The registered manager worked closely with the staff team each day to provide support and advice. Staff told us they felt valued and supported. Regular effective checks and audits were completed to make sure people were receiving a good quality of service.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 15 August 2018 and this was the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on our current inspection programme.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.