Trelawney Care Ltd

Updated 22 May 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

This inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

Service and service type:

Trelawney Care Ltd provides personal care to people living in their own homes. The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit in line with our current methodology for inspecting domiciliary care agencies. Inspection site visit activity started on 20 March 2019 and ended on 22 March 2019. We visited the office location on 20 March 2019 to see the registered manager and office staff and to review care records and policies and procedures. On 22 March 2019 we contacted people who used the service to gather their views and experiences.

What we did:

Before the inspection we reviewed the Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed other information that we held about the service such as notifications. These are events that happen in the service that the provider is required to tell us about.

We reviewed:

• Notifications we received from the service

• Two people’s care records

• Records of accidents, incidents and complaints

• Audits and quality assurance reports

• Six staff files

We spoke with:

• Eleven people using the service; four relatives

• The registered manager

• Nine members of staff

We received feedback from:

• Three external healthcare professionals

Updated 22 May 2019

About the service: Trelawney Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection approximately 55 people were receiving personal care from the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

¿ People were supported by staff who knew them well and had formed trusting relationships with them. Comments from people and relatives included; “My relative has a very good relationship with all the carers, it's so nice to see them taking time to communicate with them at a pace that he can join in with” and “We get on well with each other and I think they try to please me. They know what I like to do and be done for me, and they know my family is important to me and that I like talking about them.”

¿ The management team recognised the importance of staff having time to build relationships with people to gain their respect and confidence. When this resulted in visits taking longer than planned arrangements were put in place to ensure other visits were not negatively impacted on.

¿ The management team recognised the importance of staff having time to build relationships with people in order to gain their respect and confidence. When this resulted in visits taking longer than planned arrangements were put in place to ensure other visits were not negatively impacted on.

¿ Staff had a good knowledge and understanding of people’s routines and their likes and dislikes. If they had any concerns about anyone’s well-being this was reported to the office and action taken to help ensure people were safe and happy.

¿ People were complimentary about staff and the organisation. They told us staff were punctual and no-one reported having had a missed visit. Comments included; “I don’t mind if they’re going to be a little late, after all I am not the only one they have to come to. But they try and get here on time or I might get a phone call telling me their running late” and “It’s not very often that they don’t come at the right time. I would get a phone call if they’re going to be late.”

¿ New staff completed an induction which involved training and a period of ‘buddying’ more experienced staff. Training was refreshed so staff were up to date with any changes in working practices.

¿ Staff told us they were well supported and had a good working relationship with each other and the management team.

¿ A new care planning system had been introduced. Staff accessed and update people’s records on a mobile phone app. They told us this was effective and made it easy to keep up to date with any changes in people’s needs. The registered manager was working with the supplier to develop the system further to meet the needs of the organisation.

¿ The service was exceptionally well-led. The registered manager was passionate and committed to improving the lives of people using the service. The visions and values of the service were focused on enabling people to stay living at home. This was known and understood by the staff team. The registered manager worked with other organisations and professionals to help achieve their aims.

¿ People and their relatives were consistently positive about the management of the service. Comments included; “I am so pleased with the management. Because my relative is so far away communication is very important to me. They keep me fully informed of any major problems, get things sorted and then let me know it's sorted, can’t say fairer than that. Great service, no complaints”, “For us, as a family, it meets all our expectations and more. We feel it’s like family, an extended family” and “I know I can contact them, and the phone is answered and whatever it is I have rang about gets done or changed so yes, I have every confidence.”

¿ People and staff were asked for their views of the service to help drive improvement. Spot checks of staff working practices were carried out by senior staff.

Rating at last inspection: Good (Report published 11 October 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at our previous inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

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