20 January 2014
During a routine inspection
We spoke with 26 people and relatives about the care they received and we looked at 10 people's care records. We spoke with twelve staff and looked at six staff files. This including office based staff, care workers and the registered manager.
People and relatives we spoke with were happy with the care provided by the agency. One person said, 'I am able to do some things for myself but I do not know what I would do without them, they are a God send'. A second person said, 'They (the care workers) are brilliant'. People reported they were treated with dignity and respect by staff.
We found people's care needs were assessed and there were clear care plans in place about how to meet people's needs. These included detailed information about any individual risk factors and how to reduce those risks for people. People said they thought the agency was reliable and confirmed they received weekly rota information about the times of planned visits and the names of care workers. They said staff mostly arrived on time, and stayed for the agreed time. Where there were any delays, most people said the agency let them know.
We looked at staffing levels and at staff training and found the agency had enough staff to meet people's needs and that staff received regular training and updating. We also looked at medicines management and found appropriate systems in place to ensure staff supported people safely with their medicines.