We carried out a review of the data available to us about Care Matters (Wiltshire) Ltd 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 Care Matters (Wiltshire) Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
Care Matters (Wiltshire) Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes in Warminster and surrounding areas. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of inspection 48 people were receiving personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were being supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had been recruited safely. People told us the staff were reliable and the service had never missed a visit. The registered manager told us they only accepted care packages they knew they could deliver. People told us they felt safe when receiving their care and support. Risks were identified and assessed, the management regularly reviewed risk assessments.
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. People were supported by staff who were trained and supported in their roles. Staff helped people access healthcare services where needed and worked with healthcare professionals to provide effective care. If people required help with meals this was recorded in their care plans.
People were being supported by staff who were kind and caring. One person told us, “The staff help me keep going, cheer me up when I am down and give me a cuddle, they are wonderful. I don’t know what I would do without them, they all have empathy and compassion.” People told us staff helped them to maintain their independence by involving them in their care and encouraging them to maintain their skills. People appreciated having a weekly rota which informed them what staff would be visiting and when. People’s privacy and dignity was promoted by staff and records were kept secure.
People’s needs had been assessed and recorded in a care and support plan which was reviewed regularly. Care and support plans were kept in people’s homes, so they could access them at any time. Communication needs were high-lighted, assessed and recorded in care plans so staff knew how to communicate with people. Where people had requested or been assessed as needing help with social needs this was provided. People told us they had help to go shopping, visit local places of interest or go out for meals which they enjoyed.
People, relatives and staff told us the service was well-led. There was an open and positive culture at the service which was appreciated by all. The registered manager was visible and approachable. People told us they saw management regularly, staff told us they could approach management at any time. Quality monitoring was in place and complaints managed appropriately. The service worked in partnership with other professionals and had good community links.
We have made one recommendation about the development of quality monitoring.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection: The last rating for this service was Good (report published 31 January 2017).
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 inspection schedule. If we receive any information of concern, we may inspect sooner.
The service supports people in their own home who require personal care. At the time of our inspection there were 21 people receiving support with personal care.
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.
There was a welcoming and friendly atmosphere throughout the inspection. The registered manager promoted an open and honest culture that respected people, relatives and staff. The registered manager was passionate about the service. They believed in investing in staff to support staff development and career progression.
People and relatives were positive about the service and the caring approach of the registered manager and staff. Staff knew people well and had developed positive relationships. Staff understood the importance of promoting independence and the value of social interactions for people living in their own homes.
The service was responsive to people’s changing needs and supported them to access health professionals when needed.
Complaints were managed effectively and people were confident any concerns raised would be taken seriously.
Staff had the skills and knowledge required to support people’s needs. Staff were supported through regular supervision and had access to support at all times. Staff understood their responsibilities to report concerns in relation to safeguarding vulnerable adults.
People were supported in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People and their relatives were involved in decisions about their care and how needs would be met. People were given choices and choices were respected. People were complimentary about staff ability to provide support in the way people wanted.
Care plans were in place and gave guidance to staff about how people’s needs should be met. Care plans included risk assessments and support people required to manage risks.
There were systems in place to ensure staff were deployed effectively to make care calls. There had been no missed visits and action was taken to notify people if care calls were going to be late.
There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the service. Annual surveys were carried out and used to identify areas of improvement.
This inspection took place on 2 November 2015 and we spoke with people who used the service, their relatives and staff on 26, 27 and 28 October 2015. This was an announced inspection which meant the provider knew two days before we would be visiting. This was because the location provides a domiciliary care service. We wanted to make sure a registered manager would be available to support our inspection, or someone who could act on their behalf.
There was a registered manager (who was also the registered provider) in post at the service at the time of our inspection. 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 positive about the care they received and praised the quality of the staff and management. Two social care professional said “ the small staff team provide consistent care that people want. The registered manager is very aware of people’s individual needs and provides a professional service.”
Systems were in place to protect people from abuse and harm and staff knew how to use them. Staff understood the needs of the people they were supporting. People described their care as being provided by staff with “compassion and professionalism”.
Staff were appropriately trained and skilled. They received a thorough induction when they started work at the service. They demonstrated a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities, as well as the values and philosophy of the service. The staff had completed training to ensure the care and support provided to people was safe and effective to meet their needs. All of the staff we spoke with were clear the effectiveness of training was monitored through the supervision; and if necessary disciplinary processes.
The service was responsive to people’s needs and wishes. Changes in people’s needs were quickly identified and their care package amended to meet their changing needs. The service was flexible and responded positively to people’s requests. People who used the service felt able to make requests and express their opinions and views.We saw people’s needs were set out in clear, individual plans. These were developed with input from the person and people who knew them well. Staff explained the importance of supporting people to make choices about their daily lives. Where necessary, staff contacted health and social care professionals for guidance and support.
We saw records to show formal complaints relating to the service had been dealt with effectively. People explained they were confident that any concerns or complaints they raised would be taken seriously and be dealt with promptly.
The registered manager assessed and monitored the quality of care. The service encouraged feedback from people, their relatives and staff, which they used to make improvements.
All the people we spoke with said staff were very respectful of their privacy and dignity. A relative told us 'I have seen only good care. The care staff allow (my relative) to set the pace.'
We received information that visits were not always reliable. People we spoke with said staff were reliable at arriving on time and staying for the correct amount of time. We found an example of a missed visit. The manager had investigated the cause and changed systems to avoid a recurrence. This was an example of learning through handling a complaint. We identified where the provision for addressing complaints could be improved.
Care plans were specific about how to provide people with personal care and assistance to meals, based on individual wishes and preferences. Some information could have been made more useful to staff by being more detailed. We saw that care plans were agreed with the person receiving care or a near relative. A person we visited said 'The care plan is what I've agreed to; it fits what I want and what my family see as important.'
Staff had a good knowledge of the service's medication policy, which the manager was currently reviewing. Some directions about medicines needed to be more detailed.
The service had good provision for developing their staff and the business.
People told us what they thought about the service they received from Care Matters. We were told 'Their service is very good, they are very polite and they do the job I pay them for'. 'They are fine, brilliant and it's no problem'. 'On the whole they are good but I don't get a whole lot of continuity'. 'They are very good I've got no complaints'.
People who use the service each had a care plan in place that showed how to give them the support they needed. The staff demonstrated a good understanding of people's different needs and how to meet them.
People felt they were treated respectfully by the staff who came to their home's. The staff knew what actions to take to keep people safe from abuse. We saw up to date information available to guide them on how to safeguard people.
The staff who supported people had completed a range of training and development courses. This helped staff understand people's range of care and support needs.
The provider's system to monitor the overall quality and effectiveness included directly consulting with people who use the service, to ask them about the quality and effectiveness of the service.