25 June 2019
During a routine inspection
The Garth Care Services is a domiciliary care agency based in Kington, Herefordshire. It specialises in providing care and support to older people with physical disabilities, sensory impairments or who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection, there were 9 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The provider’s systems and procedures to help people manage their medicines needed to be more robust and consistently adhered to by staff. Staff training needs had not been effectively monitored and consistently addressed. The provider’s quality assurance activities were not as effective as they needed to be. They had not enabled them to address the shortfalls in quality we identified during our inspection.
People were protected from abuse by staff who understood how to identify and report any abuse concerns. The risks to people’s health, safety and welfare had been assessed, reviewed and plans put in place to keep them safe. The provider monitored their staffing requirements to enable them to provide a reliable and consistent service. The registered manager reviewed all reports of any accidents or incidents involving people to learn from these. Steps had been taken to protect people, staff and others from the risk of infections.
The registered manager met with people and their relatives before their care started, to assess their individual needs and requirements. Staff received an effective induction to help them settle into their new roles. People had the support they needed from staff to prepare their meals and drinks. Staff and management worked effectively with a range of community health and social care professionals to ensure people’s health needs were monitored and addressed. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Staff were friendly, caring and spoke to people in a respectful and polite manner. People and their relatives were able to express their opinions about the care provided, and these were listened to by the provider. Staff understood the importance of promoting people’s equality and diversity through their work.
People’s care and support reflected their individual needs and requirements. People’s care plans encouraged a person-centred approach and were reviewed and updated on a regular basis. People and their relatives understood how to raise any concerns or complaints with the provider. People’s wishes and choices about their end of life care were explored with them, in order that these could be addressed.
The provider and management team promoted an open culture within the service, in which feedback from people and other stakeholders was encouraged and listened to. Staff were well-supported by an approachable management team who were willing to act on issues and concerns brought to their attention.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 7 September 2016).
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.