Archived: Nurse Plus UK - Eastbourne

Nurseplus UK - 3 Hyde Gardens is a domiciliary care agency which provides support with personal care to people living in their own homes. The provider is a large organisation who has a number of branches throughout the country. 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 the inspection 39 people were receiving support with personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were supported by staff who were kind, caring and patient. They understood people’s care and support needs and what was important to each person. They were enabled to make their own decisions and choices about the care they received each day.

People received support from a regular group of staff who knew them and understood their support needs. The deputy manager was continually working to ensure people’s group of care staff remained as small as practicably possible. Staff arrived at their calls when they should and stayed for the correct amount of time.

People were protected from the risks of harm, abuse or discrimination because staff knew what actions to take if they identified concerns. There were enough staff working to provide the support people needed. Recruitment procedures ensured only suitable staff worked at the service.

Risk assessments provided guidance for staff about individual and environmental risks. Staff understood the risks associated with the people they supported. People were supported to receive their medicines safely, when they needed them.

Staff received training that enabled them to provide the care and support that people needed. Staff received regular supervision and support from the deputy manager. They felt supported by their colleagues. People's health needs were met, they were supported to have access to healthcare services when they needed them. People told us staff were attentive to their health needs and would seek guidance when necessary.

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.

There was a manager working at the service who had good oversight. They were able to tell us about people and their needs. They were working to continually develop and improve the service. There was an audit system which helped the provider identify areas which needed to be improved.

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 (published 16 December 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.

Nurse Plus and Carer Plus is a domiciliary care agency based in Eastbourne. They are registered to provide personal care and nursing care. At the time of this inspection the regulated activity nursing care was not being provided. The service provides care and support for adults living in their own homes at key times of the day and includes support for people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and dementia type conditions. At the time of the inspection there were 59 people who received personal care from the service.

The service had a registered manager although an acting manager was in place at the time of the inspection while the registered manager was on a period of leave. 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 told us they felt safe receiving the care and support provided by the service. Staff understood and could recognise the signs of potential abuse and knew what to do if they needed to raise a safeguarding concern. Training schedules confirmed staff had received training in safeguarding adults at risk.

Robust recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been made before staff began work at the service. There were sufficient levels of staff to protect people’s health, safety and welfare consistently and reliably.

People said staff were caring and kind and their individual needs were met. One person told us, “All the carers are very nice and very caring.” Another person said, “The staff are very attentive to my needs.” Staff knew people well and had a good understanding of their needs and choices.

Care plans and risk assessments reflected people’s assessed level of care needs. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible. One person told us, “They always involve me with any changes to my care needs.”

Staff felt supported by management, said they were well trained and understood what was expected of them. Staff were encouraged to provide feedback and report concerns to improve the service. A member of staff told us, “The managers are really supportive and always available if I need to raise concerns.”

There was a complaints policy and information regarding the complaints procedure was available. Complaints were listened to and investigated in a timely manner and used to improve the service.

Regular audits were in place to measure and monitor the quality of care and service provided.

People and staff surveys were positive about Nurse Plus and Carer Plus. One person commented, “All staff we have are all good, no complaints.” A member of staff told us, “I enjoy getting up and coming to work. What we do makes a difference. You have a purpose. I like working here.”

We spoke with people who used the service. One person told us 'I could not be more satisfied, staff really could not be any nicer.'

Care needs had been reviewed and updated regularly if changes occurred. Staff had attended safeguarding training, and displayed knowledge of how to recognise and report concerns.

Staff records showed that appropriate checks had taken place before people commenced employment, and the provider had systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided.