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Dignify Care Limited

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

The Portway Centre, 1 Old Sarum Park, Old Sarum, Salisbury, SP4 6EB

Provided and run by:
Dignify Care Limited

Report from 11 June 2024 assessment

On this page

Effective

Good

Updated 16 July 2024

We reviewed all 6 quality statements in this key question.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Assessing needs

Score: 3

People told us staff had a good understanding of their needs and assessments had been carried out with their involvement.

The registered manager carried out all assessments prior to people receiving a package of care. The registered manager told us, “The assessment is a good opportunity to introduce our self and our services. We can find out what is expected of us and look at how we can support the person to be safe at home.”

The service was part of the local authority homecare framework. This meant staff were able to have information about people’s needs from the local authority when completing initial assessments. The registered manager said this information together with their own assessments helped to produce people’s care plans.

Delivering evidence-based care and treatment

Score: 3

People told us if they needed support with nutrition and hydration, staff helped them. One person told us, “They [staff] do me a ready meal and ask what I would like with it. I choose what I want to eat and drink.”

Staff had been provided with the training they needed to follow evidence based good practice. The registered manager told us if people needed help with their meals this was added to their care plan as part of their visit.

The service had information about people’s specific health conditions from relevant healthcare professionals and used this when planning people’s support. These helped to ensure care was planned in line with current best practice guidance. The registered manager was also a registered nurse and kept up to date with current clinical best practice guidance.

How staff, teams and services work together

Score: 3

People told us staff worked with other agencies where needed. People and relatives had experience of staff working with the local authority and hospital staff. For example, staff had worked responsively with hospital staff to help people move back home following a stay in hospital.

Staff told us they worked well as a team and were able to support each when needed. One member of staff told us, “We discuss everything together. If someone is having a problem, we talk about this.”

Professionals did not share any concerns regarding this quality statement. Professionals told us staff worked with them to provide good care for people. One professional told us, “I am sure they [staff] learn daily from experience and from working and supporting different people with different medical conditions and behaviours.”

People’s care records demonstrated staff worked with other services to ensure their needs were met effectively. There were regular staff meetings for staff to hear updates and changes to people’s needs.

Supporting people to live healthier lives

Score: 3

People told us staff would contact health professionals for them if needed. People and relatives did not share any concerns about support regarding health needs.

Staff were kept up to date with information on people’s health needs. The registered manager told us they supported staff to learn about people's health needs so they had understanding of different health conditions.

People's care records demonstrated they had been supported to access relevant health services, including GP and specialist nurses.

Monitoring and improving outcomes

Score: 3

People and relatives told us they had the support they needed from staff to monitor any health conditions. Staff also shared any concerns promptly with relatives where needed. One relative told us, “They [staff] monitor [relative] and tell me if they see anything unusual or if [relative] is looking poorly.”

When monitoring was needed staff followed guidance from healthcare professionals. For example, staff told us they regularly monitored people’s skin where people were at risk of pressure damage. Staff told us they followed guidance from community nurses and shared any early signs of skin damage with them.

Systems were established to use monitoring processes where needed. For example, if people were at risk of malnutrition staff used food and fluid charts to monitor intake. If people were at risk of pressure damage, staff used re-positioning records to monitor people’s position. Those we reviewed were completed with no gaps in recording.

People were asked for their consent prior to providing them with care and support. People signed their care plans where appropriate as an agreement of the care package.

Staff were aware of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and how it applied to their work. Staff told us they supported people to make their own decisions wherever possible. If people lacked capacity, staff told us they had access to guidance in people’s care plans to help people make decisions.

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.