Everycare (Wessex) Limited

Everycare (Wessex) is a domiciliary care agency which provides support to people in their own homes. It operates in Dorchester and surrounding areas. The service provides care and support to people with a variety of needs including dementia, mental health and physical disability. The service also provides nursing support and respite care.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection 53 were receiving personal care from the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People who received care and support from Everycare (Wessex) said they were very happy with the service provided. Everybody said the staff went above and beyond what was expected of them. People told us they felt safe with all the staff who supported them. There were clear risk assessments which meant care was provided in a way that minimised risks.

People received care and support that was extremely personalised to meet their individual needs. People and their relatives were at the centre of planning their care and support. The management team carefully matched people’s needs, preferences and interests to care staff to ensure the best possible care and support was delivered.

The registered manager went the extra mile in ensuring people had opportunities to develop relationships and avoid social isolation. For example, tea parties had been arranged and people were supported by carers to attend. Photos around the office and people told us they had enjoyed these social events. Following the success of the tea parties, the registered manager told us, “We have been instrumental in setting up localised social hubs for existing and potential clients, families, friends, professionals, staff and the wider community to have informal get-togethers”.

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.

The culture of the service was very caring and focused on ensuring people received person-centred care that met their needs in a timely way. It was evident staff knew people well and put these values into practice.

The service understood the importance of supporting people to make day to day decisions and choices. Assessments of their care and support were detailed. Information was regularly reviewed which ensured it remained up-to-date, ensuring people's diverse needs were met. People had a rota telling them which staff to expect and at what time. People told us staff were punctual and stayed for the allotted time. Changes in people's needs were circulated to staff via mobile phones, this meant any new care instructions were immediately available.

The service had an effective out of hours system in place over 24 hours. A contingency plan was in place to ensure the service kept running through adverse weather conditions or during staff sickness.

Everycare (Wessex) worked hard to help address loneliness for people living alone at home. They aimed to support people to live full lives. The service had a strong person-centred culture. Relatives of people supported by the service told us staff were very focused on helping their relatives to increase their wellbeing.

The service had implemented safe systems and processes which meant people received their medicines in line with best practice. Staff had received training in medicines administration and had their competency assessed.

People received care and support in line with their needs and wishes because sufficient numbers of staff were employed. There were contingency plans in place if staff were unable to carry out their visits. Staff were well trained and had a good knowledge of the needs and preferences of people which enabled them to provide personalised care. Staff noticed changes in people's needs and reported them effectively.

Members of the senior team of Everycare (Wessex) have been involved in a number of initiatives and projects aimed at sharing best practice and supporting care providers to stay up to date.

The service regularly sought the views of people. The management team continued to consult with

people about their care and about the service. People and staff were empowered to voice their opinions, and the management team always responded to comments put forward.

The registered manager demonstrated an excellent understanding of the importance of effective quality monitoring. The systems in place enabled checks of the service provided to people and to ensure they were able to express their views, so improvements could be made. There was a high level of satisfaction with the service. Staff were proud to work for the service and felt valued for their work. A positive culture was demonstrated by the attitudes of staff and management.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

The last rating for this service was Good insert date last report published (24 February 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Everycare (Wessex) Limited on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Everycare (Wessex) is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care support to 47 people. The service was run from an office in the centre of Dorchester.

The service had 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.

All people, relatives and staff spoke about the high quality service and management provided by the service. Without exception, comments made throughout the inspection were positive and reflected that people in receipt of support held the service in high esteem and could not identify any areas the service could improve upon.

Staff were aware of their responsibilities in protecting people from harm and knew how to report any concerns about people's safety or wellbeing. People had individual risk assessments and staff understood the risks people faced and their role in managing these.

People were supported by staff who were recruited safely and were familiar to them. People and relatives felt that staff had the sufficient skills and knowledge to support them .Staff received regular supervision and competency checks to ensure that they had the necessary skills to support people.

The service had clear emergency plans in place to support people and staff understood and used systems to report accidents or injuries so that this information could be used to ensure people were supported safely.

Staff understood what support people needed to manage their medicines safely and these were given as prescribed. There were processes in place to audit the accuracy of recording medicines.

Staff received a comprehensive induction and a wide range of learning opportunities at the service. There was a focus on recruiting the right staff to support people in ways which reflected the values of the service and respected people’s dignity.

Staff understood how to support people to make choices about the care they received, and encouraged people to make decisions about their care. Paperwork was in place to complete assessments and best interests decisions with people when this was required.

Where people received support from staff to eat and drink sufficiently, we saw that staff offered choices and prepared foods in the way people liked. Where people needed support from healthcare professionals, staff highlighted any concerns and requested referrals where appropriate.

People told us that staff who supported them were kind and helpful and we observed that staff supported people in the way they preferred and were aware of people’s likes and dislikes. There was a clear rapport between people and staff and we observed that people were comfortable with staff in their homes.

People’s care plans were person centred and included details about what people liked and how they wanted to be supported. People told us that they were involved in reviews about their care. Reviews were completed regularly and the information updated in people’s care plans in the office and their home.

People told us that they received a rota each week letting them know what staff were due to visit at what times. Where changes were needed to visits, or where staff were running late, people told us that the office made contact to let them know.

Feedback was gathered from people and staff using surveys and satisfaction calls and the information was used to drive improvements at the service.

People, relatives and staff felt that the management of the service was effective and they were able to speak with someone in the office and contact out of hours support easily when needed.

Staff were confident and happy in their roles and spoke highly about the support they received. They were involved in the development of the service and encouraged to raise their ideas or suggestions.

The service had a clear structure, office staff and supervisors had clear responsibilities and information was effectively shared with staff through team meetings, supervisions and emails.

Staff were encouraged to develop their skills and knowledge and to share this with other staff. The service had a range of links with external resources and organisations and were using this to further drive high quality support for people.

Quality assurance measures were regular and the information was used to monitor and drive high quality care.

Appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work. Staff were supported during their induction period to ensure that they had the skills required for the role prior to a firm offer of employment. One member of staff told us, 'The induction programme is part of the recruitment process.'

The provider had a system in place to assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. One person told us, 'They do regular checks.'

People's care plan and risk assessments were accurate and fit for purpose. One member of staff told us, 'Care plans are clear and easy to use.'

People we spoke with told us they were treated with respect. One person told us "Staff do a wonderful job and they respect me." The care records we reviewed contained adequate information about people's needs.

People told us that they were more than satisfied with the care and support they received. They commented that the staff were "excellent" and treated them well. People told us that they usually had the same staff which meant that there was continuity in their care.

People were assessed prior to receiving care. Following assessments of their needs and risks, care plans were put in place to reflect the care and support they needed.

Records showed that all staff were trained in recognising and dealing with adult safeguarding issues. Safeguarding training was part of the staff induction process and staff were not able to start working with people until they had completed this training.

The recruitment process in place ensured that all staff had the appropriate pre-employment checks prior to starting work.

Quality assurance procedures were in place and being developed further to ensure that the standards of care could be maintained.