All inspections: Plan Care Worthing - Care Quality Commission

We spoke with three people who used the service, and they were all happy with the service they received from the agency. People told us "I'm very happy with the service and the communication with the office is excellent". Another person said "I have no problems with the agency; I'm grateful to have them".

People told us that they received the care they wanted, and we found that all the records we reviewed included an agreement detailing the care to be provided, signed by the agency and the person receiving care.

We reviewed five care records out of a total of 32, and found that all of them contained care plans which had been written and regularly reviewed based on assessments of each person's needs. We spoke with staff members who said that they referred to the care plan and risk assessments regularly to ensure they were able to meet the person's needs.

Staff members told us that they felt well supported by the management team and their colleagues. We noted that a range of training programmes was available to staff at the agency, and all new staff completed an induction programme which followed national guidance.

We found that the provider had implemented ways to gather feedback on the service from people, as well as monitoring the quality of the service provided through spot checks and staff appraisals. People told us that complaints were quickly and satisfactorily dealt with.

We spoke with three people using the service and four members of staff about Plan Care. People told us the care workers were 'normally on time' and if they were going to be late they would receive a phone call to let them know. Two of the three people told us that it was 'rare' that the care workers didn't turn up for their visit, however, it had happened in the past 'especially when the weather was bad'. One person told us that their 'carer was very good' but did appear to be rushed at times. They said 'I could do with more time really'. When asked if the care workers stayed for the allocated time, all three people told us that they did. We spoke with one care worker at the time of our inspection visit who told us they often did not have much time to get from person to person and on occasions the visit would be late.

People's independence was promoted and encouraged where appropriate and they were treated with dignity and respect. People experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. The provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening. People were protected against the risks associated with taking their medicines.

People were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet their needs. People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because accurate and appropriate records were maintained

People told us that they are treated with respect and dignity. They said they know who is coming to them except on rare occasions of sickness and that the careworkers are punctual and reliable.

They also told us that they were given enough information on the agency when they first started to use it and that the agency continues to communicate well with them. We were told that the agency resolves any problems. We spoke to one relative who told us that the agency respects her mothers wish to have female carers except on very rare occasions when a male has to attend.

We spoke to the commissioning team at West Sussex Adult Services and they do not have any concerns about the agency who they feel carry out the care as contracted. They also told us that the agency communicates well with them.

Archived: Plan Care Worthing

All Inspections

24 October 2013

During a routine inspection

1 March 2013

During a routine inspection

15 August 2011

During an inspection in response to concerns