Everycare (Wessex) Limited

Updated 21 December 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector, an assistant inspector and an Expert by Experience, who contacted people by telephone. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. This includes older people, people living with dementia and people who may have physical disabilities.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service three working days' notice of the inspection site visit to ensure someone would be available in the service office when we inspected. The location office site visit took place on 30 September 2019 , and visits to people's homes took place on 1 October 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the

information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are

required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We reviewed the last inspection report. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with six people who used the service and seven relatives. We spoke with the registered manager, acting nurse manager and nurse manager. The care coordinator and six staff members and the training manager. We visited three people's homes. We met with one person who used the service at the office. We reviewed the care records and medication records for six people who used the service. We reviewed records of accidents, incidents, compliments and complaints, staff recruitment, training and support as well as audits and quality assurance reports.

Updated 21 December 2019

About the service

Everycare (Wessex) is a domiciliary care agency which provides support to people in their own homes. It operates in Dorchester and surrounding areas. The service provides care and support to people with a variety of needs including dementia, mental health and physical disability. The service also provides nursing support and respite care.

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. At the time of the inspection 53 were receiving personal care from the service.

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

People who received care and support from Everycare (Wessex) said they were very happy with the service provided. Everybody said the staff went above and beyond what was expected of them. People told us they felt safe with all the staff who supported them. There were clear risk assessments which meant care was provided in a way that minimised risks.

People received care and support that was extremely personalised to meet their individual needs. People and their relatives were at the centre of planning their care and support. The management team carefully matched people’s needs, preferences and interests to care staff to ensure the best possible care and support was delivered.

The registered manager went the extra mile in ensuring people had opportunities to develop relationships and avoid social isolation. For example, tea parties had been arranged and people were supported by carers to attend. Photos around the office and people told us they had enjoyed these social events. Following the success of the tea parties, the registered manager told us, “We have been instrumental in setting up localised social hubs for existing and potential clients, families, friends, professionals, staff and the wider community to have informal get-togethers”.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of 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.

The culture of the service was very caring and focused on ensuring people received person-centred care that met their needs in a timely way. It was evident staff knew people well and put these values into practice.

The service understood the importance of supporting people to make day to day decisions and choices. Assessments of their care and support were detailed. Information was regularly reviewed which ensured it remained up-to-date, ensuring people's diverse needs were met. People had a rota telling them which staff to expect and at what time. People told us staff were punctual and stayed for the allotted time. Changes in people's needs were circulated to staff via mobile phones, this meant any new care instructions were immediately available.

The service had an effective out of hours system in place over 24 hours. A contingency plan was in place to ensure the service kept running through adverse weather conditions or during staff sickness.

Everycare (Wessex) worked hard to help address loneliness for people living alone at home. They aimed to support people to live full lives. The service had a strong person-centred culture. Relatives of people supported by the service told us staff were very focused on helping their relatives to increase their wellbeing.

The service had implemented safe systems and processes which meant people received their medicines in line with best practice. Staff had received training in medicines administration and had their competency assessed.

People received care and support in line with their needs and wishes because sufficient numbers of staff were employed. There were contingency plans in place if staff were unable to carry out their visits. Staff were well trained and had a good knowledge of the needs and preferences of people which enabled them to provide personalised care. Staff noticed changes in people's needs and reported them effectively.

Members of the senior team of Everycare (Wessex) have been involved in a number of initiatives and projects aimed at sharing best practice and supporting care providers to stay up to date.

The service regularly sought the views of people. The management team continued to consult with

people about their care and about the service. People and staff were empowered to voice their opinions, and the management team always responded to comments put forward.

The registered manager demonstrated an excellent understanding of the importance of effective quality monitoring. The systems in place enabled checks of the service provided to people and to ensure they were able to express their views, so improvements could be made. There was a high level of satisfaction with the service. Staff were proud to work for the service and felt valued for their work. A positive culture was demonstrated by the attitudes of staff and management.

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

The last rating for this service was Good insert date last report published (24 February 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Everycare (Wessex) Limited on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.