Violets Homecare is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection approximately 75 people were receiving support with personal care. The inspection was announced and took place on 7 and 9 June 2016.
The service had 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People were kept safe by staff that had a good understanding of how to identify abuse, and knew how to respond appropriately to any concerns that arose. Risks to people’s safety had been assessed so as to minimise the potential for reoccurrence, and had been measured against people’s right to take risks and remain independent.
Staff numbers were based upon the amount of care that people required, and were flexible to ensure that people were kept safe. Robust recruitment procedures ensured that only staff who were considered suitable to support people worked within the service.
Safe systems were in place to ensure that people received their medication in line with their prescriptions. Staff ensured that medication was administered and recorded in accordance with best practice guidelines.
An induction programme was in place for new staff which prepared them suitably for their role and assessed their competencies against essential standards. Staff were also provided with a range of training to help them to carry out their roles and meet people’s needs. Regular supervision and annual appraisals, to further support and develop staff were also provided.
Staff complied with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Wherever possible people were actively involved in decision about their care and support needs.
People were supported to take an adequate dietary intake, based upon their specific dietary needs, if this was an assessed part of their care package. Liaison with healthcare professionals took place when needed and prompt action was taken in response to illness or changes in people’s physical and mental health.
Staff treated people in a friendly and caring manner, with kindness and compassion, and cared for them according to their individual needs. They had a good understanding of people’s individual needs and worked hard to ensure they had choices based upon their personal preferences.
Staff were very knowledgeable about the specific needs of the people they supported and used this information to ensure that people received person centred care, which ensured their privacy and dignity was maintained.
People's needs were assessed prior to them being provided with care and support. Care plans were updated on a regular basis, or as and when people's care needs changed. People knew how to make a complaint if they needed to and were confident that the service would listen to them. Where action was required to be taken to address complaints, we found that lessons were learnt from this to drive future improvement.
The registered manager was visible and accessible and staff and people had confidence in the way the service was run. The culture within the service was forward thinking, open and positive, with all staff striving to provide the best care and support they could. The registered manager and provider regularly assessed and monitored the quality of care provided to people so that they could drive future improvement and make changes for the better. Staff were encouraged to contribute to the development of the service and understood the provider’s visions and values.