About the service Taunton Homecare Services is an agency which provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the market town of Taunton. At the time of the inspection the agency was providing care to 26 people.
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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were protected from abuse. Staff knew how to recognise and report abuse
People and relatives told us they received safe care.
People received support from a regular staff team and staff were recruited safely. Staff were trained to administer medicines safely. Competency checks had been completed to ensure staff were following safe medicine practices.
Staff had received training in infection control and demonstrated an understanding of what personal protective equipment (PPE) should be used when supporting people. People told us staff wore PPE whilst spending time in their homes.
People's needs were assessed and staff with the right skills helped to meet these. Staff supported people with their eating, drinking and to access healthcare support.
There was an enthusiastic, positive and caring culture amongst staff at the service. Staff had good knowledge about the people they supported and told us they were proud and enjoyed working at the service.
People were cared for by staff with sincerity, kindness and compassion. Staff supported people in a dignified and respectful way. People's independence was promoted and respected.
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.
The provider had a complaints process and the one complaint received had been effectively resolved and appropriate actions taken.
People and their relatives were able to give feedback about their care in a variety of ways. Examples included, through care reviews, periodic telephone calls and surveys.
Staff said they were very proud to work for the service and praised the support they received. One commented, “I feel the way (registered manager) and (provider) have set the company and manage it is top quality, always very focused and will look after the staff.”
The provider had systems and processes in place to retain oversight of people's care and ensure good standards were consistently met.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 22 August 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was carried out due to the length of time the provider had been registered with CQC without receiving a formal 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.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Taunton Homecare Services on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.