This inspection took place on 20 August 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care and we needed to be sure that someone would be available.Loving Care is a domiciliary care agency providing hourly support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection they were supporting 63 people.
There was a Registered Manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The provider was taking steps to improve the way that person-centred information was gathered to ensure that care plans were person-centred.
Risks to people were assessed and reviewed regularly to ensure people's individual needs were being met safely. People’s medicines were administered by trained staff and records were up to date to ensure medicines were administered safely.
Staff were deployed in a way that ensured people received care from regular staff who knew them well. A contingency plan was in place to ensure that people’s care could be provided safely in the event of staff being late or unavailable. The provider carried out checks on staff to ensure that they were suitable for their roles.
People told us that staff knew them well and that they were respectful in maintaining privacy and dignity when providing care in their homes.
People were encouraged to be independent and staff worked with people to offer choices when supporting them at mealtimes.
Staff understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act and demonstrated a good understanding of how to offer people choice. Records showed that staff worked alongside healthcare professionals where changes to people’s mental capacity were identified.
People told us that staff were competent and skilled in carrying out their role. The provider had effective arrangements in place to train, supervise and provide induction to staff. Staff told us they felt supported by the provider and could call for assistance at any time.
People told us they were confident to raise any issues about their care. There was a complaints policy in place and there was evidence that complaints had been recorded, investigated and responded to.
The service had systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided through seeking people’s feedback and carrying out audits. People told us they had seen improvements in their care. The manager had a vision for the future of the service and was taking steps to overcome identified challenges.