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Archived: Drewdales Homecare Services Limited

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

4 Victoria Road, Balby, Doncaster, DN4 0LZ (01302) 910344

Provided and run by:
Drewdales Homecare Services Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed - see old profile

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 9 March 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The Expert by Experience had experience of supporting and caring for young and older people.

Service and service type:

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides personal care to adults with a range of support needs, including dementia and physical disability.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service short notice of the inspection because we wanted to visit people in their homes and we needed support from the registered manager to arrange this.

Inspection site visit activity started on 18 February 2019 and ended on 19 February 2019.

On the 18 February 2019 we visited four people in their homes to ask their opinions about the care they received and look at their care records. Whilst out on visits the registered manager accompanied us. We also attempted contact over the telephone with ten people who used the service and successfully spoke with two people and one relative.

On the 19 February 2019 we visited the office location to see the registered manager and owners, and review care records and policies and procedures relating to the service. We also spoke over the telephone with three care workers.

What we did:

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

Prior to the inspection visit we gathered information from many sources. We looked at the information received about the service from notifications sent to the Care Quality Commission by the registered manager. We also spoke with the local authority commissioners, contracts officers and safeguarding and Healthwatch (Doncaster). Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 9 March 2019

About the service:

Drewdales Homecare Services Limited is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care to adults with a range of support needs, including dementia and physical disability, in their own homes.

The Care Quality commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

Drewdales Homecare Services Limited was providing personal care to 18 people at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

People supported told us they felt safe with the staff that supported them. Staff had undertaken safeguarding training which was regularly refreshed. Staff understood their role and responsibility to keep people safe from harm.

People’s care records contained guidance for staff about how to support people safely and minimise risks to people.

Recruitment procedures were thorough and robust, with clear evidence of the pre-employment checks which had been carried out.

The service had systems in place to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed. Staff supported people to maintain their health by making appropriate referrals to community health professionals and acting on any advice they were given.

There were enough staff employed to ensure people received consistent and timely care. People told us staff arrived at their agreed times and did all, and often more, that was expected of them

Staff were competent, knowledgeable and skilled. They received regular training, supervisions and appraisals which supported them to conduct their roles effectively. We recommend that more detailed records of the support provided to staff are kept.

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.

People were happy with the support they received from staff with meal preparation. Staff were aware of people's special dietary requirements and where necessary monitored food and fluid intake levels of people who were assessed to be at risk.

People supported spoke with the highest praise and regard of the staff that provided support and the office team including the registered manager and the owners. People told us staff treated them with dignity and respect and were kind, caring and sympathetic to them.

People received personalised support and staff had built positive relationships with the people they cared for and supported. Staff supported people to retain their independence and to remain involved in planning and reviewing their care. This helped to ensure care was provided in accordance with people’s preferences.

The provider had an effective complaints procedure in place. Information about how to complain was given to people when they started using the service. People and their relatives knew how to complain if they needed to. The service had not received any complaints.

Staff provided positive feedback about how the service was run. They told us they enjoyed their jobs; their morale was positive and that the staff team worked very well together.

The registered manager operated a governance system which included the completion of several audits. These were to ensure the service was operating within the policies and procedures set by the provider. We recommend the service have a more thorough system in place to ensure all audits completed are recorded and evidence the actions taken because of the findings.

More information is in the full report

Rating at last inspection:

This was the services first inspection since changing the company name. The previous company was rated good (report published in March 2017).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating awarded at the last inspection and changes made to the registration of the service.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned for future dates.