This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care for up to 40 people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults. 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.
People’s experience of using this service:
Staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe from harm, and people felt safe when receiving support. Enough staff were available to meet people’s needs, and people’s medicines were managed safely. Staff had the knowledge, skills and time to care for people in a safe and consistent manner. Robust recruitment and selection process' were in place.
Staff were trained and supported people in a personalised and effective way. Staff sought people’s consent before giving care and support. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were encouraged to live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that included understanding, control, choice and independence. Staff had formed positive relationships with the people they supported and looked for ways to make them feel valued.
Staff knew people well and used this knowledge to care for them and support them to achieve their goals. Staff were considerate of people's feelings and treated people with the utmost respect and dignity.
People spoke positively about staff and said they were treated with dignity and respect. Staff continued to work at people’s pace and supported them to maintain their independence for as long as possible.
Staff had a good understanding of people's needs and provided person centred care which put people at the heart of the service. They continued to find ways of supporting people to have a good quality of life. People told us the service was flexible and based on their personal wishes and preferences. Where there were changes in people’s needs, these were addressed quickly and without any difficulties.
People were actively encouraged to give their views and raise concerns or complaints. People’s feedback was valued, and people felt that they could raise issues in the knowledge that they would be listened to and swift action would be taken.
Staff understood the importance of supporting people to live life to the full whilst they were fit and able to do so. They also understood that supporting people at the end of their life was equally important. End of life care plans included people's wishes to ensure their passing was as comfortable, and as peaceful as possible.
People benefitted from a service that had a dedicated registered manager whose experience and qualifications were used to support people to lead full and meaningful lives. People's views were sought out and acted upon. Robust quality assurance processes were in place to ensure the safety, high quality, and effectiveness of the service.
People had confidence in the management of the service which worked effectively to ensure people’s needs were met. The management promoted strong values which were embedded in the service. Robust systems were in place to seek the views of people who used the service and check the quality of the service. Spot checks, care planning review meetings and audits were carried out on a regular basis.
The management team and staff continued to find ways to improve the service and remain driven by their passion for caring for people, including those with dementia.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection (and update) – The last rating for this service was Good (29 March 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.