A single inspector carried out this inspection. The focus of the inspection was to answer five key questions; is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led?Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at.
If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read our full report.
This is a summary of what we found:
Is the service safe?
People spoke positively about the care they received and about their care workers. People said they knew who to speak to if they had any worries or concerns and were confident that action would be taken if they raised any issues. One person said 'I feel safe when they (carers) visit and not at all vulnerable. And if I did have a complaint I would speak to X in the office who would resolve it.' Another person said 'They (carers) are all brilliant. X will do anything for me and X is very kind and caring and I am very comfortable with her.'
People told us that they felt their rights and dignity were always respected.
Effective management systems were in place to make sure the manager and staff learned from events such as accidents and incidents, complaints, concerns and investigations. The service had completed comprehensive risk assessments for the environment and people's physical and mental health.
People we spoke with confirmed they received their medication as prescribed. Some people told us that they could administer their own medication safely with minimal support from staff.
Procedures were in place for dealing with emergencies and staff were able to explain these to us.
Is the service effective?
People's files contained pre-admission assessments, which showed that people's health, personal and social care needs were assessed before care was delivered to them at home.
When people were identified as being at risk, their care plans showed the actions required to manage these risks. These included the provision of specialist equipment such as pressure relieving mattresses, hoists and walking aids.
People we spoke with confirmed they had a care plan in their home, which was followed by carers when they visited. People said that their care plans were up to date and reflected their current needs. Records we saw supported this. One person said 'They (carers) are all very pleasant and they do the job their supposed to do and you always feel comfortable with them when they are in your home.'
Staff had received training to meet the needs of people they support in the community. They had also completed mandatory training so that they could work safely with people. Staff we spoke with told us they received good support from the agency and described the agency as a 'family run company.'
People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines.
Is the service caring?
People we spoke with told us that they were well supported by the service. We asked them for their views about the staff that supported them. Feedback from people was very positive. We spoke with ten people who were using the service and three relatives who had relatives using the service. We also checked some of the feedback people had provided. Everyone told us they were satisfied with the care they received and spoke positively about individual care workers. People described carers as being 'caring, cheerful, helpful and efficient.'
Is the service responsive?
People told us their care workers generally arrived on time and they stayed for the correct length of time that had been agreed. People told us if they had any problems they contacted the senior team leader or the manager who would make sure any issues were sorted out. People said whenever possible they were kept informed about any changes to the usual care workers who attended to them.
People we spoke with told us they knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy. Everyone we spoke with told us they would ring the agency office. People also told us that complaints would be investigated and action taken as necessary. One person said 'I would ring the office and X would sort it out. I know they would.'
Is the service well-led?
We saw that there was an effective and robust quality assurance system in place which meant that the service was learning from any audits and that there was continuous improvements at the service.
Effective management systems were in place to promote and safeguard people's safety and welfare.
Relatives we spoke with told us they thought the service ran well. One relative said 'Overall, It is a very good service.'
We saw from care files that the service worked well with other health care professionals and services to make sure people received the care they needed in a joined up way.