The Care Quality Commission has found the quality of care provided by Home Instead Senior Care in Knaphill, Woking, Surrey, to be Outstanding following an inspection in October.
Home Instead Senior Care is registered to provide personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, 102 people were using the service.
Inspectors found staff were caring and compassionate and people were being provided with safe, responsive, caring, effective and well-led care.
Under CQC’s programme of inspections, all adult social care services are being given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Home Instead Senior Care was rated Outstanding for being caring, responsive and well-led and Good for being effective and safe.
Deborah Ivanova, CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector for Adult Social Care in the south region said:
“Our inspection team was really impressed by the level of care and support offered to people at Home Instead Senior Care in Woking and Guildford.
“People felt safe receiving care in their homes and told inspectors they didn’t have concerns. Care plans were personalised and contained information to provide care in a way people wished.
“Care workers supported people to stay healthy and to obtain treatment when they needed it. Staff also liaised with healthcare professionals involved in people's care and accompanied them to appointments where necessary. People value this support because it allows extra help for those who found it difficult to manage transport to appointments and communication with healthcare professionals. Care workers were quick to identify any changes in people's health. Relatives said care workers' vigilance and advice had been valuable in enabling their family members to obtain treatment when needed.
“Staff supported people to be as independent as possible. People told our inspectors staff had emphasised the benefits of independence and encouraged them to do things for themselves where they could. One of the agency's stated aims was to enable people to stay in their own homes and there were many examples of staff enabling people to achieve this when they would have been unable to do so without support. There were also examples of how staff had supported people to remain involved in their local communities, which increased their independence and prevented social isolation.
“People and their relatives were actively encouraged to make their views known and were involved in making decisions about care. Staff had a very good understanding about what was important to people, going to considerable lengths to ensure people's needs and wishes were met. It was clear that people liked and trusted them and were at ease in their presence.
“All of this meant people received a high standard of care, which is why it has been rated Outstanding.”
Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, said:
“The quality of care which our inspectors found here was exceptional and I am very pleased that we can celebrate the service’s achievements.
“An outstanding service is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment. I would like to thank and congratulate everyone involved.”
Inspectors found people were supported by staff who were extremely kind, caring and compassionate. Care workers were passionate about their work and wanted to make a positive difference to people's lives. They frequently gave up their own time to spend time with people, particularly if they lived alone or had limited family contact. Many people had established close relationships with their care workers and regarded them as good friends.
The agency ensured that people were assigned care workers who were not only able to meet their care needs but whose interests they shared and whose company they enjoyed. Particular attention was paid to the 'matching' of people with their care workers with the aim of bringing people together who shared similar interests.
The values of the agency were known and promoted by staff at all levels. Care workers shared the management team's commitment to providing high quality person-centred care that exceeded people's expectations. Staff said their managers demonstrated the agency's values in their own work, which motivated them to provide outstanding care.
The feedback received from people, relatives and professionals confirmed that they considered the service the agency provided to be outstanding. Many people highlighted the excellent care provided by staff and the ability of the agency to adapt and respond to their changing needs. Relatives emphasised the flexibility and professionalism of the agency and said they would not hesitate in recommending the agency to others.
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Our inspection team was really impressed by the level of care and support offered.
Deborah Ivanova, Deputy Chief Inspector for Adult Social Care, south region