About the service Walfinch Hemel Hempstead & Watford, Dunstable, Luton & Leighton Buzzard is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to adults in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 5 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
A new manager had started in post several weeks before the inspection. As they were not yet registered with the CQC which is a mandatory requirement, the key question of Well-Led could not be rated ‘good’ at this time.
A new electronic care planning and medicines administration system was introduced recently. The manager had good understanding and oversight of this system, along with the processes in place to assess, monitor and review the quality of the service. At the time of inspection it remained early days in using the system and undertaking quality assurance checks and audits. These needed time to be embedded and sustained in practice.
People were cared for safely. Risk assessments were completed and reviewed regularly and as people’s needs changed. Safeguarding procedures were in place should any concerns arise and the manager knew how to follow correct processes in this area. Safe recruitment practices were followed to ensure staff were suitable for their roles.
There were enough staff to meet people’s care needs and people received care at the agreed times. People were supported with their medicines and good infection control practices were in place.
People’s care records contained clear information covering all aspects of their care and support needs. Some new staff had recently joined the team. As a whole, the staff team had a good understanding of people’s wishes and individual preferences. People’s personal preferences, likes and dislikes, communication needs and links with family were all considered within the care plans. Staff received training to meet people’s needs.
Where required, people were supported with their eating and drinking to ensure their dietary requirements were met. People were supported to access health care services when needed.
People received support from reliable, compassionate staff. Staff were caring in their approach and had good relationships with people and their relatives. People were treated with respect. Staff maintained people’s dignity and promoted their independence. Consent was sought before care was delivered.
The manager was aware of their legal responsibilities and worked in an open and transparent way. People and their relatives knew who to contact if they had any concerns or anything needed to be sorted out.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 16 December 2021 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.