We carried out a review of the data available to us about Brooklands Homecare Ltd - Worthing on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Brooklands Homecare Ltd - Worthing, you can give feedback on this service.
Brooklands Homecare Ltd is a small domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 16 people at the time of the inspection. The agency is based in Worthing and supports people in the surrounding areas.
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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were being supported by staff who were kind and caring. Feedback about the staff was all positive. As the service was small people knew their care workers well and had consistency with their care and support. Relationships between staff and people and their relatives had developed.
People were supported safely by staff who had been trained and were well supported by the management. Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff to meet the agreed care packages. There was an on call system which supported people and staff to have access to a manager at all times. People’s risks had been identified and there were plans in place to help manage risks identified.
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. People had their own care plans which were reviewed when needed. A copy was kept in people’s homes, so they could access them when they wished.
People’s care was personalised as staff knew their likes and dislikes. People and relatives had access to a complaints process to raise concerns. All the feedback about the branch manager was positive. There was confidence in their ability to manage the service.
Quality monitoring was being carried out and staff were encouraged to share their thoughts about improving the service. People and their relatives were asked for feedback to monitor the quality of the care and support.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 15 June 2017). Since this rating was awarded the service has moved the office location. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.
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.
Brooklands Homecare Ltd - Worthing is a small domiciliary care agency that provides personal care to people in their own homes. The agency provides services to people who live Worthing and Ferring. People who receive a service include those living with frailty or memory loss due to the progression of age, mobility needs and health conditions.
At the time of this inspection the agency was providing a service to 10 people. Visits ranged from 15 minutes to over one hour. The frequency of visits range from one visit per week to four visits per day depending on people’s individual needs.
During our inspection the registered manager was present. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.
People and care workers spoke highly of the registered manager and the company. People expressed satisfaction with the service they received. Despite this, we found that quality assurance systems were not being used to ensure accurate records were maintained at the agency office and to drive improvements. We have made a recommendation about this in the main body of the report.
Everyone that we spoke with said that they felt safe with the care workers who supported them. Care workers received training and were knowledgeable in recognising signs of potential abuse and the relevant reporting procedures. Recruitment checks were completed to ensure care workers were safe to support people.
People said that they received care visits at the agreed times and that care workers always stayed for the full allocated time. Care workers also said that they had sufficient time to care for people safely.
Safe medicine systems were in place. Risks to peoples safety were assessed and action taken to reduce any harm to people. Care workers understood the procedures that should be followed in the event of an emergency or if a person was to have an accident or to fall.
People said that care workers had the appropriate skills to meet their needs and that they provided effective care. A programme of induction, training and supervision was in place that equipped care workers with the skills and knowledge needed to care for people. Care workers were knowledgeable about the people they supported.
People were happy with the support they received to eat and drink and to manage any health needs they had. Care workers were provided with information before they started to care for people and were kept informed when people’s needs changed.
Care workers understood people’s rights to be involved in decisions about their care and were able to explain what consent to care meant in practice. People were supported to express their views and to be involved in making decisions about their care and support.
People said that they were treated with kindness and respect by the care workers who supported them. People’s privacy and dignity was promoted. Care workers understood the importance of building trusting relationships with people.
There was a positive culture at the agency that was open, inclusive and empowering. People said that they were aware who to speak to in order to raise concerns. The agency had a complaints procedure in place to respond to people’s concerns and to drive improvement.