The inspection took place on 12 and 13 January 2017 and was announced. The service had not been inspected since it first registered in 2014. It changed its name and registration in September 2016.Eveshel Care, also known as Sure Care (Havering), provides personal care to people in the London borough of Havering. On the day of our visit there were seven people using the service but this number fluctuated up to 20 regularly as the service was currently providing end of life and palliative care packages.
The service did not have a registered manager. However, a manager had been employed and was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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.
There was a shortfall in the systems in place to review care plans and ensure that staff stayed for the contracted visit times. People, their relatives and records we reviewed confirmed that people did not always receive care for the contacted time. This impacted on their individual preferences as some aspects of care were either missed out or not completed in accordance with people’s preferences.
People told us they felt safe and trusted the staff that looked after them. They were supported by staff who were aware of the procedures to protect them from abuse. Staff were enabled to support people effectively by means of supervision, training, appraisal and regular spot checks.
People told us that they were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts according to their tastes and preferences. Staff were aware of the procedures in place to refer people to other healthcare professionals when required.
Staff were aware of the procedures to follow to ensure that medicines were handled safely. Risks to people and the environment were regularly assessed in order to protect people from avoidable harm.
There were robust recruitment checks that included the necessary criminal checks to ensure that staff were suitable to work in the health and social care environment.
The service ensured that there were enough staff available to cover for emergency, absences and other leave in order to ensure that there were no missed visits.
Staff demonstrated an understanding of how they would obtain consent to care. They had an awareness of how the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLs) applied in practice.
People told us that they were treated with dignity and respect and that their wishes were respected. They were aware of how to make a complaint and thought that their complaint would be listened to and resolved by the registered manager.
Quality checks were completed by the managers in order to monitor and improve the quality of care delivered.
The service had a positive culture that was open and inclusive. People and staff thought the management team were approachable and open to suggestions made in order to improve the quality of care delivered.