Archived: Social Care Reablement - 44 West Exe South Also known as The Old Bakery

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at. If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.

This is a summary of what we found:

Is the service safe?

People had been cared for by staff who had received regular training to help ensure that all support provided was as safe as possible. We found that the staff recruitment procedure and induction was thorough, and that staff were not able to work alone until the service was satisfied that they were competent to do so.

Is the service effective?

People told us that they were happy with the care they received and felt their needs had been met. It was clear from what we saw and from speaking with staff that they understood people's care and support needs and that they knew them well. One person told us that 'they're a wonderful team.' Another told us that 'they've been a terrific help.'

Is the service caring?

People were supported by kind and attentive staff. We saw that care workers were patient and gave encouragement when supporting people. People told us that there was no time limit on support visits and that they were able to choose what they wanted to do at their own pace. Our observations confirmed this. One person told us 'What I like most is the fact they put you under no stress or strain, but are quietly supportive in the background, which gives me a tremendous amount of confidence." A relative told us "All the staff help my relative feel human and they don't patronise them.'

Is the service responsive?

People's needs were assessed very quickly following referral. People told us they were visited by a member of the team for assessment shortly after hospital discharge to discuss what rehabilitation goals were important to them. Records confirmed people's preferences, interests, aspirations and diverse needs had been recorded and care and support had been provided that met their wishes. People told us that if they didn't feel well enough to undertake their rehabilitation goals then staff didn't mind if they chose not to do them.

Is the service well-led?

Staff had a good understanding of the ethos of the reablement service and quality assurance processes were in place. People told us they were asked for their feedback on the service they received and that they could send this in on the weekly reports. They also told us that they had the names of senior staff and had been given clear contact details should the wish to speak with someone about the service. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities.

People told us they were very satisfied with the service. We heard how most people had regained skills to help them become independent, or, where full independence had not been achieved, they had been given help to find long term services to meet their needs. Comments included 'The service has helped me a lot. I don't know what I would have done without them', 'All the care workers are marvellous' and 'They seem to know a lot'.

The agency had effective systems in place to help them plan care workers rotas. People told us they received a reliable service and had never experienced a missed visit.

People told us the care workers were well trained and competent. We saw they had received a range of training and regular supervision and support to ensure they met people's needs.

The service had a range of systems in place to seek people's views and to check the quality of the service. We also saw evidence to show a high number of people had been helped to regain full independence by the time the service ended.