Archived: Carons Care Line

Updated 25 November 2016

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

The inspection took place on 1 September 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides domiciliary care services. We wanted to make sure the manager would be available to support our inspection, or someone who could act on their behalf. The inspection was carried out by 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 inspector visited the office on 1 September 2016, while the expert-by-experience supported the inspection on 31 August 2016 and completed telephone interviews with people and their relatives.

Before the inspection we checked the information we held about the service and the service provider. This included statutory notifications sent to us about incidents and events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events relating to the care they provide which the service is required to send to us by law. We also looked at previous inspection reports. We reviewed the Provider Information Return (PIR) from the service. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We looked at documents relating to people’s care and support and the management of the service. We reviewed a range of records which included three care and support plans, staff training records, staff personnel files, policies and procedures and quality monitoring documents.

We spoke on the telephone with eight people who used the service and two relatives about their views on the quality of the care and support being provided. We spoke with the registered managers, administrator and three staff members.

Updated 25 November 2016

Carons Care Line is a domiciliary care agency who provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection thirty three people were using the service.

This inspection took place on the 1 September 2016 and was announced, which meant the provider knew before the inspection we would be visiting. This was because the location provides domiciliary care services. We wanted to make sure the manager would be available to support our inspection, or someone who could act on their behalf.

This service was managed by two registered managers who were responsible for the day to day running of the service. 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.

Carons Care Line is a small family run service who prides themselves on providing “unrushed care” and “finding time to talk”. People, their relatives and health and social care professionals told us they would highly recommend this service to others. Staff went above and beyond providing care and support, which were not part of people’s care packages. The service continually strived to develop further opportunities for people to go out in the community and continue enjoying activities they used to.

The registered managers spoke passionately about their service and staff. They told us they provided a service with a personal touch. They were very proud of their staff team and believed in valuing their staff as much as the people using their service. They said “We have an excellent team” and “[Staff member] love their job. They are very passionate about the job”.

People and their relatives spoke very highly of the caring approach of the service. Comments included “All the carers I have treat me as friends. I am very pleased with all of them. They cheer me up.”; “They are all wonderful. We love them all. I had a bad experience with a previous care agency, but Caron’s is brilliant” , “I am treated very kindly. The care is very good” and “They are caring, they listen to me”. A relative said “I am supported as well as my wife. They are always very positive and encourage me”.

Staff and the registered managers were very responsive to people's individual needs. Staff knew people well and what was important to them. Staff monitored people's mood and emotional well-being on a daily basis and responded accordingly. For example when a person was feeling low, staff bought the person's favourite sweets and magazines to cheer them up. Staff did this in their own time and at their own cost. Another example was when a person's watch strap broke and the person became upset. Staff left their own watch with the person while they took the person's watch to be repaired. All this was done on the staff member's day off.

Staff told us they loved working for the agency as they were allowed the time to spend with and care for people. One staff member told us they had previously worked in a Care Home, which was always rushed and did not feel they were caring for people. They said they now felt like they were making a difference. Staff told us they provided care with a personal touch and people and relatives we spoke with confirmed this. One staff member said “It is the norm. I treat people the way I would like to be treated.”

People using the service and their relatives said they valued the relationships they had with staff and were satisfied with the care they or their family member received. People were supported to have a say in how their care was delivered.

One of the registered managers specialised in palliative care and had a small dedicated team providing end of life care for people. One relative said “They cared for my mother during her last few months. The carers were compassionate and professional and enabled my mother to die at home as she wished. The team of carers all went the extra mile, which involved [the manager] having to step in personally when one of the team was unwell.

Staff were aware of the types of abuse people may be at risk of and the actions to take if they suspected someone was at risk of harm. Staff were aware of their responsibility to report any concerns they had about people’s safety and welfare.

People received their care at the correct time and had support given by the same members of staff to ensure consistency of care. Staff would support people on end of life care beyond their allocated care time.

There were enough staff deployed to fully meet people’s health and social care needs. Appropriate recruitment processes were in place to reduce the risk of unsuitable staff being employed by the service. Staff received training and support from management to ensure they had the right knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs.

Systems were in place to ensure people were given their medicines in a safe way.

People told us staff sought their consent before providing any care or support. Staff had an awareness of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and knew how to support people to make their own decisions.

There was effective communication systems in place to ensure any changes or updates about people were communicated to staff immediately. Any changes in people’s health or emotional well-being were responded to straight away.

People’s needs were assessed and care plans developed to identify the care and support people required. People and their relatives told us they were involved in the planning and reviewing of their care and support and that when they required changes to be made, this was actioned by staff or the registered manager.

People and their relatives told us they knew how to raise any concerns or make complaints should the need arise. The registered manager sought feedback from people to ensure that the quality of care was maintained.

People, relatives and staff all spoke positively about the management of the service. Staff felt supported and confident in raising concerns and felt the registered managers would act on these.