Archived: Beaminster - Care at Home Also known as Altogether Care - Care at Home

Beaminster Care at Home is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service provided personal care and support to 52 people living their own homes in the Beaminster and surrounding areas.

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.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were supported by caring, motivated staff who knew everyone very well and treated people as individuals and with dignity and respect. People were cared for by a consistent staff team who had received appropriate training to carry out their roles.

The provider had robust recruitment systems to ensure staff were safely recruited. Staffing levels were appropriate to meet the needs of the people using the service. however, some people told us their visits were not always on time. The registered manager told us they were reviewing their policy with regard the time scale people could wait for support.

Staff spoke knowledgably about the systems in place to safeguard people from abuse. The provider had a training programme that ensured people received care from staff with the correct skills and knowledge. Staff received regular supervision and annual appraisals to ensure they were fully supported in their role.

The provider actively sought feedback from people about their care and acted on the feedback received. People told us they were aware of the complaints procedure and received good responses when they contacted the office. Staff communicated with people in a way they understood. This meant people had access to the information they needed to make decisions about their care.

People received their medicines on time and as prescribed. Staff understood the importance of infection prevention and control and wore protective equipment appropriately when supporting people. Learning from accidents and incidents was analysed and shared with the team to reduce the chance of them happening again.

The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were supported to have maximum choice and control over 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.

Initial assessments were completed with people to establish whether the service would be able to meet their presenting needs. From the initial assessment a care plan was drawn up to show how people’s needs would be met by the service. People told us they had been involved in their assessments, and the reviews of their care plans.

Staff consistently demonstrated a kind and caring approach towards people. People’s privacy and dignity was supported at all times. People were supported by staff who were respectful and knew them well. People were encouraged to maintain their independence. People told us they felt respected by staff. One person said, “We respect them and they respect us.”

People we spoke with were very complimentary about the service and felt it was well led. The registered manager led by example, including working alongside staff. Staff felt included and encouraged to contribute their views and ideas.

The service worked alongside other providers in the local area and understood the importance and benefits to people of working closely with health professionals and did this to help maintain people’s health and well-being.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good ( published 2 February 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

The last inspection of the service was carried out on 27 November 2013. No concerns were identified with the care being provided to people at that inspection.

Beaminster Care at Home is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service provided personal care and support to 72 people living in the Beaminster and surrounding areas.

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

People and their relatives were very complimentary about the quality of the service provided and about the management and staff team. They felt the care was good. One person told us, “They [care workers] are all lovely, it doesn’t matter who you get”.

People had positive relationships with the staff members who supported them. Staff knew people’s individual histories, likes and dislikes and things that were important to them. People’s privacy and dignity was respected and information personal to them was treated in confidence.

People we spoke with felt they received support from familiar and consistent care workers. They told us they would recommend the service to other people. They confirmed care workers arrived on time and had the skills and knowledge to provide the support they needed. One person told us, “They [care workers] turn up when they should and always stay the right time.”

The provider had effective systems to manage staff rosters, match staff skills with people's needs and identify what capacity they had to take on new care packages. This meant that the service only took on new work if they knew there were the right staff available to meet people's needs.

The provider had a recruitment procedure that ensured the suitability of staff was checked before they began work. Staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse and all said they were confident that any issues raised would be appropriately addressed by the registered manager. People felt safe with the staff who supported them. Staff kept daily records about the care provided and these records were used to review people’s care by the registered manager.

The provider identified and assessed risk to people’s safety and well-being. These included risks associated with the person’s physical health, moving and positioning needs, their home environment and eating and drinking. There were documented strategies for managing and reducing risks and identified actions for staff to take in response to risks.

Care was planned and delivered in a way that was personalised to each person. Staff monitored people’s healthcare needs and, where changes in needs were identified, care was adjusted to make sure people continued to receive care which met their needs and supported their independence.

The provider had a clear vision, which was to provide a service which was influenced by the needs and wishes of the people who used it. There was a commitment to providing high quality care which was tailored to people’s individual wishes. Their vision and values were communicated to staff through staff meetings, supervisions. People’s views were gathered by regular monitoring visits and phone calls and by satisfaction surveys.

We asked one person if staff listened to them and they told us' yes, they're very good at that, I've got no complaints, everything is very good.'

Another person told us 'it is difficult to always specify what you want - I wish I could have more flexibility. On the whole they are very good and they remember things I don't remember. I'm amazed by that. I consider that the chat and a smile is very important when we are living on our own as we don't get chat that often. Mostly they are are very pleasant and cheerful'.

One member of staff we spoke with told us ' we should look for things like abuse for example monetary, how people are in themselves, any changes; you can tell if someone is upset. It is also about being alert, for example, if someone tells you " I had a visitor", you would make sure they were happy with that and understood why they were there.'

One member of staff told us ' they (the manager and office staff) are always there if you need them. You will never be sent out if you're not prepared'.

We found there were systems in place to ensure care was delivered at the right time by suitably qualified staff. We found measures to monitor quality and manage infection control.