Westmorland Healthcare is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to mostly older adults. Not everyone using the service receives the regulated activity personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with personal care such as help with tasks relating to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of this inspection, the service provided personal care to 96 people.People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People benefitted from exceptionally caring staff that provided continuity of support. The feedback from people demonstrated the caring and empowering culture was well embedded across the organisation. One relative commented, “We have a regular group of four carers who are kind and caring across the board. We were upfront about having this [as part of our care package] and they have met all our requirements.”
The registered manager led the service in delivering personalised support that promoted a flexible, person centred culture. One relative commented, “I have a six weekly phone call where I can raise issues and they are taken on board. We have a good rapport and communication is good.” People had a comprehensive person-centred care plan with information about their needs and preferences. Staff were extremely responsive to changes in people's needs and adapted their support accordingly. The registered manager ensured positive relationships to ensure end of life care incorporated compassionate and sensitive support for people and their loved ones.
Partnership working with other services had led to positive outcomes for people based on good practice. Westmorland Homecare had robust governance procedures to ensure a quality service was delivered by staff who were motivated to meet people’s needs and wants. Staff were extremely complimentary about the management team. The feedback we received showed the provider's aim to establish an open and inclusive culture that put people first was being achieved.
Safeguarding procedures were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse by staff who understood and were trained on how to recognise and respond to concerns. Safe recruitment practices were followed and there were enough staff deployed to meet people’s needs. Infection control systems and audits were in place and staff had access to suitable amounts of appropriate personal protective equipment to minimise the spread of infection. Staff were participating in regular testing for the COVID-19 virus to minimise the risk of spreading the infection and keep people safe.
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 registered managers tailored people’s support to ensure it was flexible in delivering positive outcomes and meeting people’s physical and emotional needs. Positive communication and valued engagement were embedded through the service. Staff supported people to live healthier lives that included when appropriate, help and guidance with their healthcare, nutrition and hydration.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 28/05/2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the service's registration date
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.