Archived: Transform Homecare East Surrey

Transform Homecare East Surrey provides personal care to people in their own homes. 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 our inspection the service was supporting 14 people with personal care needs.

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

People were highly complementary about the personalised support they received and the kind and caring nature of staff. People were supported by small teams which meant they had the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships. Assessments were completed prior to people receiving care and people were involved in developing their care plans. People told us staff arrived promptly and stayed for the planned duration of their care call.

Staff understood their responsibilities in reporting potential safeguarding concerns and people told us they felt safe with the staff supporting them. Risks to people’s safety and well-being were managed well and any concerns responded to promptly. People received their medicines safely and in line with their prescriptions. Safe recruitment processes were in place and staff received training relevant to their roles.

People had access to health and social care professionals to support them to stay healthy. Relevant referrals were made for equipment to help people maintain their independence and safety. People’s wishes at the end of their life were explored with them. Staff had received training in this area of people’s care and took pride in the care they offered to people.

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 told us they would recommend the service to others and felt the registered manager and senior team were kind, responsive and organised. There was a positive culture throughout the service with shared values and goals evident. Quality systems were embedded into practice in order to ensure continuous improvement. Staff felt supported in their roles and proud of the impact they had on people’s lives.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 22 July 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.

Transform Homecare East Surrey is a domiciliary care service providing personal care for people with a variety of needs including older persons, people with learning disabilities and people with mental health support needs. The service supported 35 people at the time of our inspection, 10 of whom were receiving personal care.

A registered manager was in post and supported us during our inspection. 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.

People told us they felt safe. Risks to people’s safety and well-being had been assessed and control measures implemented to keep them safe. Where accidents and incidents occurred the registered manager took steps to minimise the risk of them happening again. People were protected from the risk of potential abuse as staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures and how concerns should be reported.

People told us and records confirmed that staff arrived to provide their care on time and stayed for the duration of their planned time. There was an on-call service available to people over a seven day period to provide support in an emergency and to ensure all care calls were covered. The service had a contingency plan in place so people would continue to receive their care in the event of an emergency.

Robust recruitment procedures were in place to ensure that staff were suitable to work in the service. New staff were supported through an induction process to ensure they knew people’s needs well and understood their role. On-going training was provided to staff and one to one supervisions were completed to monitor performance. Staff told us they felt supported by the organisation.

People received support with their medicines where required and staff had received training in this area of their role. People’s healthcare needs were monitored. Advice was sought from healthcare professionals when appropriate and this was followed by staff. Where people required support with meal preparation this was done in line with their dietary needs and preferences. Consent was gained from people prior to care being provided and the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were followed to ensure people’s legal rights were respected.

People told us that staff treated them with kindness and encouraged them to maintain their independence. Staff developed positive relationships with people and respected their dignity and privacy. People’s needs were assessed prior to their service starting to ensure that their needs could be met. The service took steps to match staff with similar interest, the right skills and approach with people receiving support. Care plans were person centred and reflected people’s individual preferences and life histories. The service was responsive to changes in people’s care needs and completed regular reviews of people’s packages of care. People’s personal information and care records were stored securely.

Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the service and drive continuous improvement. There was a complaints policy in place and people and their relatives told us they felt any concerns raised would be acted upon. The values of the service were clear and embedded into staff practice. The registered manager and all staff spoke with enthusiasm about the service and were passionate about the quality of support provided. People and their relatives were given the opportunity to give feedback regarding the service they received.

This was the first inspection of the service since a change in legal entity.