About the service: Essential Health Limited is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people who live in their own homes. The service specialises in supporting older people living with age related conditions. Not everyone who used the agency was receiving support with their personal care. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care to 31 people.People’s experience of using this service:
People received a consistently good service that was safe and effective. Staff were kind and caring, knew people well and had a good understanding of their personalities as well as their health and social care needs.
People, their relatives and care managers had been fully involved in the assessment and planning of their care before they started using the service. A care plan had been developed with each person detailing their likes, dislikes, preferences and care needs.
Consent had been sought before any care had been delivered in line with legal requirements and people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives.
Staff treated people and their relatives with kindness, dignity and respect. People’s privacy was protected and confidential information was stored securely. People were supported and encouraged to remain independent and do as much as possible for themselves.
Steps had been taken to make sure people were safe. Risks to people had been assessed and minimised in the least restrictive way. Staff had access to protective clothing such as gloves and aprons and had completed training in infection control.
Each person had their own team of safely recruited and trained staff who had a good understanding of their needs. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and had completed the training they needed to meet people’s assessed needs. Management and staff worked in collaboration with other stakeholders such as health and social care professionals and people’s relatives.
A complaints procedure was in place for people to follow.
The service met characteristics of Good in all areas more information is in the full report.
Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 20 May 2016).
Why we inspected: We inspected the service as part of our inspection schedule methodology for ‘Good’ rated services.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.