- Homecare service
Sphere Specialist Healthcare
Report from 22 March 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
We carried out our on-site assessment on 10 April 2024 and 15 April 2024, off site assessment activity started on 12 April 2024 and ended on 22 April 2024. We looked at 7 quality statements; Safe systems, pathways and transitions; Safeguarding; Involving people to manage risks; Safe and effective staffing; Independence, choice and control; Freedom to speak up; Learning, improvement and innovation. The service performed well against all statements we looked at. Safeguarding procedures and policies were in place and well understood. Risks were regularly reviewed; people and their relatives were involved in care planning and risk assessment reviews. Staffing levels were sufficient to keep people safe. Rotas were planned in a way to minimise risk. Late/missed calls were rare and the provider had systems in place to reduce these, and to learn lessons. People were supported to maintain their independence and have a clear say in how they received care. People, relatives and staff felt they could speak up if they had any concerns. The provider worked well with local partners and was finding ways to try and continually improve the service through this partnership working. At times people told us communication with the office was inconsistent but the provider made recent changes and improvements in this area.
People's experience of this service
People told us they felt safe, had built positive relationships with staff and had the confidence and support to raise concerns if they needed. People told us they were involved in all aspects of planning their care and the service regularly asked them for feedback. A small number of people experienced delayed calls and inconsistent communication at times when contacting the office, but these matters had been addressed by the registered manager at the time of inspection. Representative comments included, “I had been having a nightmare time with my previous (care) company and Sphere were recommended. They arrive on time and stay as long as they are supposed to, but they always ask if I need anything else before they go,” and, “It’s only occasionally that I have to ring the office to see where they are now as the carers usually ring to let me know. My relative is involved in my care plan review, but they always ask me if there are any changes I want to make.”