Our current view of the service
Updated
8 April 2025
Date of assessment 14 April to the 1 May 2025.Clarity Homecare (Bristol) is a home care service providing personal care to adults in their own home. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 60 people. 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.
This was a responsive assessment to review the provider’s actions from our last assessment published in November 2024. At the last assessment we rated the service requires improvement in the safe and well led key questions and overall. There were 4 breaches of regulation in relation to safeguarding, safe care and treatment, fit and proper staff, and good governance.
We looked at 6 quality statements; learning culture, safeguarding, involving people to manage risks, safe and effective staffing; medicines optimisation, and good governance. We found improvements had been made and the rating has changed to good.
Improvements had been made to ensure people were protected from harm with risk assessments in place that were sufficiently detailed. Systems were in place to record any safeguarding concerns, the actions taken and lessons learnt. Improvements had been made to the medicine management and any gaps in recording were followed up and addressed.
People were protected by robust recruitment processes. Staff were receiving regularly training that was monitored, including checks on their competencies relating to medicines and moving and handling.
Robust governance systems had been introduced to monitor the quality of the care, service provision and staffing including recruitment and training. This meant the management team had improved oversight of the quality and safety of the service.
However, further improvements were needed to ensure staff electronically logged into each visit correctly. On occasions staff were logging into the morning call rather than the evening call. The management team were working with staff to embed these improvements.
People's experience of the service
Updated
8 April 2025
We spoke with 6 people who used the service and 5 relatives. An expert by experience supported us with this assessment. An expert by experience is someone who has experience of this type of service.
Overall, people were satisfied with the care and support received. Most people said they felt safe with the staff that visited. Some people expressed the timings of the visits could improve. They would also like to be telephoned if staff were going to be late.
One person told us, “The times are not right. Sometimes they’re not turning up on time. Most of them are too early or too late. Sometimes on time, but that’s a rarity.” Another person told us, “They are not always on time, but they do come in a reasonable window. Occasionally, if they are going to be extremely late, I do receive a phone call sometimes.” Other people told us they were satisfied with the timings of their visits and staff stayed for the full allocation of time. This was being monitored by the office staff with improvements noted since the last assessment.
People told us they had regular and consistent staff. A relative told us, “She loves this lady that comes now. She can have a laugh with her, she has got a sense of humour.” One person told us, “Yes. It is reassuring when I have the same carers,” and another person told us, “A lot of different ones (staff) come. They are all nice.”
Two people gave examples where they had raised concerns and told us these had been addressed, such as a change of staff or changes to times of their visits. One person said they did find it difficult to understand some of the staff due to their understanding of the English language. This was discussed with the senior management team and the registered manager told us, English courses were offered to staff where this was needed.
People said staff have enough time to do everything they need. Comments included, “They have got to help them to have a wash and get dressed. They are only there for about half an hour she gets enough time,” and “Yes, they stay to do what they have got to do. They do not hang about.”
People and relatives said they knew and had met a member of the management team. People confirmed they were involved in their care plan and their views were sought.