Archived: Home Instead Senior Care: Maidenhead, Henley & Wallingford

At the time of the inspection, there was a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The location was previously inspected twice under the Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. These inspections occurred on 19 February 2013 and 8 January 2014. At both prior inspections, the location was compliant with the outcomes that we inspected.

People received safe care from the service. The staff knew what abuse was, how to safeguard people in the event of suspected abuse and what organisations needed to be contacted. People had risk assessments, care plans and regular evaluation of their care to ensure their safety. Staffing deployment was satisfactory and calls were not cut short, missed and support workers fully utilised all available time at people’s houses. People were assisted with medicines out of pre-packaged blister packs from the local pharmacy, or independently managed their own medicines.

The service was effective in the care it provided to people. All staff undertook an extensive induction programme and experienced staff attended necessary training to ensure they could provide the best personal care for people. All staff received regular supervisions with the registered manager and were able to set and achieve their own employment goals. Performance reviews were conducted annually with six monthly reviews. Recruitment and selection of any staff member was robust and ensured safety for people who used the service. Consent was always gained from people before care was commenced and people’s right to refuse care was respected.

We found staff at Home Instead Senior Care were overwhelmingly caring, compassionate and committed to their roles. People we spoke with and feedback taken from our own survey and the provider’s surveys demonstrated people rated the care outstanding and would not hesitate to recommend the service to others. Staff often went beyond their role expectations to fulfil people’s preferences, prevent social isolation and ensure people had the chance to pursue their hobbies or favourite interests. Staff did not need to rely on the contents of care documentation to know the people they cared for, and were able to tell us this from their experience of looking after them. However all care documentation we viewed was up-to-date and fully completed. The staff told us they respected people’s privacy and dignity, and ensured that life in their homes was as close as possible to being independent. People were able to say how they liked their care, and the service would accommodate their requests every time.

The service was responsive to people’s needs. People and relatives had the ability to share their compliments, concerns and complaints in an open and transparent manner by communicating directly with the staff. People told us they would speak to office staff or the managers if they had a concern or complaint, but never had the requirement to do so. People also told us there was good communication from everyone who worked at the service, especially when something different needed to occur in exceptional circumstances.

People, relatives and staff we surveyed and spoke with felt the leadership of the service was outstanding. They told us they felt a personal connection with the service and the people who oversaw the functioning of the care provision. The service had a very strong connection and presence in the communities where care was delivered. The service organised community events for people to attend in an effort to combat social isolation. The nominated individual spoke at local meetings about age-related matters and received complimentary feedback about involvement. The service maintained further links in the adult social care sector by embracing the use of social media. People and others had a regular opportunity to provide feedback about the service and have a voice in the model of care. Relatives and staff were also routinely surveyed and asked for their opinions about improvements the service could make. Robust auditing of care and processes was undertaken by the registered manager in additional to independent auditing by third party organisations. This ensured the service was transparent, accountable and willing to make changes when needed.

The people we spoke with told us their care plans were accurate and the care they received was of a high standard. They said staff arrived on time and were always friendly and professional in their approach. We spoke with one relative who told us, "We are very happy with the service our family member has received, it is excellent." And a person using the service told us, 'I can always contact the office if I have any concerns but, I have never had a need to do so.'

We spoke with two members of the care team who demonstrated a good understanding of the support needs of people using the service and were able to clearly verbally demonstrate their understanding of staff responsibilities to keep people using the service safe from any suspected abuse. Staff told us they were encouraged and supported to attend regular training and had regular supervision.

The people we spoke with told us their care plans were accurate and the care they received was of a high standard. They said staff arrived on time and stayed for right amount of time.

We spoke with one relative who told us 'We are very happy with the service our relative receives.' and 'We have been involved in two other agencies prior to Home Instead and think the service is fantastic and we would recommend them to others.'

We spoke with two members of the care team who demonstrated a good understanding of the support needs of people who used the service and were clear about their responsibilities in keeping people safe and reporting suspected abuse.

Staff told us they were encouraged and supported to attend regular training and had regular supervision.