Support Me at Home

Support Me at Home is a service that offers support and care to younger adults and older people who may be living with dementia, a mental health issue, a physical disability, or a sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection there were 49 people using the service however only 25 were receiving support with personal care in their own homes. 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 received a service that was consistently person-centred, caring, responsive and that achieved positive outcomes for them. People told us they received kind and compassionate care from the same small staff group, who arrived on time, and met their needs in an individualised manner. The records we viewed confirmed this. We saw that 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.

People were consulted in all aspects of their care, and they told us they felt listened to and engaged. Their care needs were regularly reviewed, and care and support adjusted to meet any changing requirements. Care was delivered by staff who had been safely recruited and inducted, and who received ongoing training and support that they told us made them feel valued. A nurturing culture was in place that achieved positive outcomes for the people who used the service.

A robust governance system was in place that had been effective at ensuring a consistently good quality service was delivered. Staff and managers understood their responsibilities and accountability was in place. The service regularly sought people’s feedback on the care they received, and this was listened to, and responded to. People told us communication was good and any issues or concerns were managed promptly and appropriately.

People consistently told us they would recommend the service due to the good quality care they received and the professionalism of the management team and their staff. People knew who would be supporting them, and when, and that their needs would be met by friendly and approachable staff they had confidence in. People told us their lives had been enhanced by the service especially around the ability to remain independent and to live in their own homes.

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 (report published 15 August 2018).

Why we inspected

We inspected this service due to the length of time since the last inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

Support Me At Home is a domiciliary care agency that provides support to people who are living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 77 people who were using the service.

Rating at last inspection

At our last inspection on 21 September 2016 we rated the service good. At this inspection we found that the key question of safe had improved to good. We also found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good

People’s safety was maintained. Risks relating to people’s health and wellbeing and within their home environment were identified and mitigated.

Staff understood what constituted abuse and how to report any concerns. There were robust processes in place to ensure suitable staff were recruited.

Staff received training relevant to their role and were supported and observed by management to ensure they were competent in their practice.

There were enough staff to support people in a safe way and people received their care visits on time.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

People were supported by caring staff who involved them in the planning of their care and who supported people to remain living independently.

Staff worked in collaboration with other agencies to ensure that people received continuity of care when moving between different services.

There were processes in place to monitor and assess the quality of service being delivered. The provider was approachable and communicated frequently with people who used the service and staff.

Further information is in the detailed findings below