A single inspector carried out this inspection. The focus of the inspection was to answer five key questions;' Is the service caring?
' Is the service responsive?
' Is the service safe?
' Is the service effective?
' Is the service 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?
We spoke with people who used the service who told us they feel safer because support workers from this service supported them well. One person said, 'I get very good support they help me to wash and dress and help with my tablets.'
People told us that they felt their rights and dignity were always respected.
We looked at the agency's risk management plans. Records we saw showed us that people and staff were not put at unnecessary risk. People also had access to choice and remained in control of decisions about their care and lives, and what support they received from the agency. 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.
We looked at the service's recruitment practice and found this to be safe and thorough. No staff had been subject to disciplinary action. Staff only commenced working in people's homes once the necessary checks had been carried out.
Is the service effective?
People's health and care needs were assessed with them, and they were involved in developing their plans of care. One person told us 'The carers involve us with everything.' People said that their care plans were up to date and reflected their current needs. Records we saw supported this. From speaking with staff they were able to demonstrate a good understanding of people's care and support needs and knew people very well.
Staff had received training to meet the needs of people they support in the community. New members of staff had had induction training when they began working at the service. They had also completed mandatory training so that they could work safely with people.
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. One person told us 'They (carers) are all smashing. All of them are very nice and helpful. You can ask them anything and they have a laugh with us.' When speaking with staff it was clear that they genuinely cared for the people they supported.
Is the service responsive?
People's needs were assessed before the agency provided a service to them in their own home. People's preferences, interests, aspirations and diverse needs had been recorded and care and support had been provided in accordance with people's wishes.
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. A relative told us that when they had a minor issue this had been resolved quickly by the agency.
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, 'They (carers) are all very conscientious and polite and always on time. We have no complaints what so ever.'
We saw from care files that the service worked well with other health care professionals and services to make sure people received the appropriate care they needed.