8 December 2011
During an inspection in response to concerns
People told us they have regular care staff and they always know in advance who will be supporting them. People told us the agency listens to their concerns, for example, unfamiliar staff and preferences in respect of gender and these were accommodated.
People told us the staff treated them in a respectful manner. One person told us 'the staff are really caring, they have become part of the family and the respect is mutual'. Another person told us 'we have the same carers each week and the care is excellent'.
Positive comments were received about the direct care support. Two people said that sometimes the office staff were not always approachable they seem really busy. One person said 'I have phoned the office but the person I wanted to speak to was never available and they never got back to me, I went to the head office in the end, it soon got resolved then'.
People told us they were kept informed by the office of any changes to care staff and times of calls. One person told us that some of the office staff can be "quite abrupt" and they had been told "I'm so busy I haven't got time" on one occasion when they called.
One person said 'the staff are angels, my wife always looks lovely, the staff pay attention to detail'.
People told us they had a care plan file containing information about SAGA Homecare Chipping Sodbury and their care needs. They said that the carers always looked at the care plans every day and recorded the care they had been given in their daily notes. This was confirmed in records we saw in the office.
People said they were satisfied that the level of detail in their care plan and it explained exactly how they wanted to be assisted.
People told us that the care staff always check with them what they wanted doing. One person told us 'the care staff always ensure that the bathroom is tidy after they have finished and they often help with little jobs like washing up and doing the laundry although this is not expected of them'.
We saw records of spot checks where staff's performance was monitored in relation to standards including ensuring people's privacy and dignity was respected.
One person said 'in all the years the agency has been supporting us, the care staff have been lovely, they always ask if we need anything before they leave'.
From talking with one person it was evident that during the summer the office staff have been short staffed and as consequence communication has been difficult and the feeling that the office staff did not have the time to talk. The person told us that during this time only one member of staff turned up when there should have been two and the timings of the visits were not consistent. However, from the conversations they said that this had improved in recent weeks.
People told us they knew how to complain and raise concerns with the agency. One person told us 'in the past it has been difficult to contact the manager (but this has improved over the last weeks). However, we went to the head office and they came out to speak with us and the concern was resolved'.
People told us they know in advance the name of the member of care staff that would be supporting them. A relative told us that this was important as it enables them to ensure that the staff visiting them were familiar staff. They gave an example where both staff that were supporting their relative were new and therefore would not know what was expected of them and the agency responded and sent another member of staff who was known to the family ensuring a consistent approach.
People told us the care staff wear a uniform and they have an identification badge this assists in ensuring the safety of the people who use the service when care staff visit their homes. People told us they can always check with the office the name of the care staff supporting them and usually the office informs them of any changes.
People told us that overall they felt that staff had a good knowledge of their relative's needs and the staff were good. One person told us that staff who have not been trained in the management of a PEG (PEG is an artificial method of nutrition) had been sent to administer nutritional feeds via their relative's PEG.