25, 28, 29, 30 April 2014
During a routine inspection
Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service and relatives, the staff supporting them and from looking at records.
If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read our full report.
Is the service safe?
Most people told us that they felt their rights and dignity were respected. Systems were in place to make sure that managers and staff learn from events such as accidents and incidents, complaints, concerns, whistleblowing and investigations. This reduces the risks to people and helps the service to continually improve.
Staff knew about people's needs and risk management plans. Systems were in place to ensure people had their medication when they needed it, and in a safe way.
Records we looked at were up to date and held securely.
Is the service effective?
People's health and care needs were discussed with them. Everyone had a care plan, and those we looked at were clear and detailed. Most people said that their care plans were up to date and reflected their current needs.
The provider had recently made changes to improve the level of service provided to people. Most people we spoke with acknowledged the changes and thought once these were fully embedded, these would be for the better.
Is the service caring?
We spoke with eight people being supported by the service or their relatives. We asked them for their opinions about the staff that supported them. Feedback from most people was positive, for example; 'most of the girls are smashing', and '[the staff] all appear to know what they are doing.' Some people felt that further improvements were needed to care call times and consistency of staff allocated to them. People told us they really appreciated it when they had regular carers.
When speaking with staff it was clear that they genuinely cared for the people they supported. People's preferences, interests, aspirations and diverse needs had been recorded and care and overall support had been provided in accordance with people's wishes.
Is the service responsive?
People knew who to talk to if they were unhappy. Most people felt they had been listened to when they had raised concerns. One person told us that everything was 'brilliant' and if they ever had concerns, they brought these to the attention of staff in the office. They told us they had found that this had resulted in things being put right immediately.
Is the service well-led?
We found that systems were in place to monitor the quality of service provided to people. Records showed that identified problems and opportunities to change things for the better were addressed in a timely way. As a result the quality of the service was continuously improving.
Staff told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. They told us they felt well supported by office staff and senior management.
You can see our judgements on the front page of this report.