We carried out a review of the data available to us about Sarum Home Care Limited on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Sarum Home Care Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Sarum Home Care Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. The service is registered to provide care for people living with dementia, older people, physical disability and sensory impairment. At the time of this inspection the service provided care and support to 49 people.
The service had a registered manager. 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. At the time of our inspection the registered manager was away from the service however we did have a telephone conversation with them following our inspection.
People continued to be cared for by staff who provided kind, compassionate and respectful care. Without exception, people and their relatives told us about the very kind and caring approach from staff. People and their relatives consistently told us they were treated with kindness and respect when receiving care and support.
Staff went the ‘extra mile’ to support people and showed an outstanding kind and caring approach to people.
Respect for people's privacy and dignity remained at the heart of the service's culture and values and people who used the service, their families and care workers felt respected, listened to and valued.
Staff continued to be highly motivated and delivered care and support that was exceptionally compassionate, caring and person centred.
There was a well organised management team who had clear roles and responsibilities. The registered manager acted as a role model for staff.
The management team promoted strong values and a person-centred approach.
There were robust systems to assure quality and identify any potential improvements to the service. This meant people benefited from a constantly improving service that they were at the heart of.
People received effective care from trained staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s individual needs and choices.
Staff were motivated, passionate and proud of their jobs. They spoke positively about the management team and that they felt involved in the running of the service.
Staff completed annual development training on a number of subjects that related to the people they were supporting.
Staff were supported through one to one supervision, on site observations, team meetings and dedicated and responsive office staff and management.
People's rights were protected in line with the principles of the MCA. Staff were knowledgeable about the five principles of the act. This ensured people were supported in least restrictive ways and would enable people to have positive experiences.
Recruitment processes were robust to make sure people were cared for by suitable staff. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people’s individual needs.
There was an effective complaints system in place. People told us they were confident to raise any issues about their care and that they would be listened to and addressed.
Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.
Sarum Home Care Limited is a domiciliary care service providing care and support for people living in their own homes. There were 63 people using the service at the time of our inspection. The service provided support to older people some of whom may be living with dementia. They also supported people living with physical disabilities and sensory impairment
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.
People were supported at end of life by staff who were caring and compassionate. This approach enabled people to receive care and treatment that met with their known end of life care choices and wishes.
People were safe because staff understood their role and responsibilities to keep them safe from harm.
Staff had a good knowledge of the provider’s whistleblowing policy and procedures which meant they were able to raise concerns to protect people from unsafe care.
People were supported by staff that promoted their independence, respected their dignity and maintained their privacy.
Risks to people had been assessed and reviewed regularly to ensure people’s individual needs were being met safely.
Recruitment processes were robust to make sure people were cared for by suitable staff. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people’s needs and to keep them safe from harm.
Staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and their responsibilities to ensure that people who were unable to make their own decisions about their care and support were protected.
Risk assessments were in place where people had been encouraged and supported to take responsibility for their own medicines.
There was an effective complaints system in place. People told us they were confident to raise any issues about their care and that they would be listened to and addressed.
People told us the service was well-led and managed by an effective and organised management team. People had confidence in the provider and staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities.
The culture in the service was open, inclusive and transparent. Staff were supported, felt valued and were listened to by the management team. Staff were confident to raise any concerns they had and bring forward ideas that could make improvements to the service.
Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.
We saw that people's needs were assessed and a care plan was created through talking to them about their needs. People signed their care plans where possible which showed they consented to the care and support which had been agreed. One person who used the service said: 'Before I started to receive visits a manager visited me from the agency. We discussed my needs and worked out my care plan.
Care workers recorded the care provided at each visit. These were returned to the office on a monthly basis for checking by the senior carers. In addition senior carers carried out spot check observations of care workers. Spot checks could happen at any time. People who used the service and their family members confirmed frequent checks took place. Staff we spoke with told us that the spot checks were conducted to ensure that people received care by care workers that were punctual and competent in their role.
People were supported with their medicines in the way which was planned for them. The team manager explained the medication policy which stated the types of support that care workers were able to provide including whether care workers prompted people to take their medication or administered people's medication.
There were effective recruitment and selection processes in place. All candidates were invited to complete a questionnaire and attend an interview with the registered manager. Interviews were based on standard questions and scenarios. The director explained that if successful, care workers would then have a period of shadowing a more experienced member of staff until it had been assessed that they were competent to carry out the role.
There were both personal and environmental risk assessments in place for each person using the service and these were regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changes in people's care. From our examination of records and talking with families we saw that the agency worked with other people to ensure people's needs were being safely met.
We used telephone interviews and home visits to people who use the service and to their main carers (a relative or friend) to gain views about the service.
We visited six people in their own homes as part of this inspection and spoke with them about their experiences of the support they had received. We also spoke with the relatives of four people who received the service, six care workers and the registered manager.
We spoke with twenty people over the telephone. All of the people spoken with told us that their care was personalised to their needs and that their privacy, dignity and independence was respected. For example, one person said, '[Care worker] made sure I was always did things for myself. They were there to help me when I needed help. I was not made to feel dependent on them. '
People we spoke with told us that members of staff provided care and support in a safe manner. They knew who to talk to if they had any concerns and they were confident that any concerns they had would be dealt with appropriately.
Everyone we spoke with felt that staff were well trained and competent. One person said, 'They are experienced and know what they are doing. I am not worried how they take care of me. They always do a good job.' Everyone we spoke with told us they were happy with the service they received.