Pentowan Home Care

Updated 6 February 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 11 January2018 and was unannounced.

The inspection was undertaken by one adult social care inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we kept about the service and previous inspection reports. This included notifications of incidents. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. This enabled us to ensure we were addressing potential areas of concern. We reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR). The PIR provides key information about the service, what the service does well and the improvements the provider plans to make.

During the inspection we used a range of methods to help us make our judgements. This included talking with 11 people that used the service and 4 relatives. We interviewed 5 staff members.

We looked at a range of records including four care plans, records about the operation of the medicines system, three staff personnel files, and other records about the management of the service. After the inspection we contacted three professionals who were external to the service for their feedback.

Updated 6 February 2018

This inspection took place on 11 January 2018 and was unannounced. At the last inspection, in January 2016, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Pentowan domiciliary care service provides services to people in their own homes in the Newquay and surrounding areas. It supports Older People, People living with Physical Disability and Sensory Impairment. The service mainly provides personal care for people in short visits at key times of the day to help people safely maintain their independence to live in their homes. The services were funded either privately or through Cornwall Council or NHS funding. The service employed 50 staff including management.

At the time of the inspection one hundred and twenty people were using the service. People were supported by staff who knew how to recognise abuse and how to respond to concerns. The service held appropriate policies to support staff with current guidance. Training was provided to all staff with regular updates provided. The registered manager had a record which provided them with an overview of staff training needs.

People had a care plan that provided staff with direction and guidance about how to meet their individual needs and wishes. Care plans were regularly reviewed and any changes in people’s needs were communicated to staff. Assessments were carried out to identify any risks to the person using the service and to the staff supporting them. This included any environmental risks in people’s homes and any risks in relation to the care and support needs of the person. People told us they were involved in decisions about their care and were aware of their care plans.

The registered manager used effective systems to record and report on, accidents and incidents and take action when required. In order to learn from events the registered manager reviewed all incidents to make changes where necessary to manage risks more effectively. For example, where medicine errors had occurred the registered manager and senior staff worked with the staff member to provide additional support and training. This helped to ensure risks were reduced and staff competency met the expected level of the organisation.

Staff had been recruited safely, received on-going training relevant to their role and supported by the registered manager. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people in their care.

Staffing levels were managed in a way to ensure staff were available to provide a consistent service to meet the needs of people who lived at home. Staff were knowledgeable about the people they cared for and responded appropriately as people's needs changed. For example, when people had been in hospital a new assessment was carried out before they returned home so the necessary services were available. Staff spoke positively about the people they supported and were motivated to provide an individualised service in line with people's needs and goals. Comments included, ”I’ve been doing this job for some time. It does change but the basics are that clients get the care they need when they need it” and “We [care staff] get the information we need if anything changes. It’s really important especially when they come from hospital because more often than not we need to do more.”

People confirmed there was a stable staff team and that care was provided by familiar faces. Staff told us that travel times were sufficient, so they were not rushed. People’s comments included, "They [the carers] are amazing and do absolutely anything I ask” and “Nothing is too much trouble, I never feel like I am a burden.”

People’s feedback about their experience of the service was positive. People said staff treated them respectfully and asked them how they wanted their care and support to be provided. People told us they had their care visits as planned. Staff arrived on time and stayed for the allotted time. Nobody reported any missed visits.

Staff wore protective clothing such as gloves and aprons when needed.

This reduced the risk of cross infection. Supplies were available around the building for staff to use when they needed them.

There was a complaints procedure which was made available to people on their admission to the he and their relatives. People we spoke with told us they were happy and had no complaints.

The registered manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included regular audits, staff, relative and ‘resident’ meetings to seek their views about the service provided.