Due to the complex needs of people using the service we were not always able to speak to people. To help us understand the experiences of people using the service, we spoke to the relatives of three people. The Registered Manager was on annual leave at the time of this inspection. We therefore spoke with the Domiciliary Care Officer.
We considered all the evidence we had gathered under the outcomes we inspected. We used the information to answer the five questions we always ask:
' Is the service safe?
' Is the service effective?
' Is the service caring?
' Is the service responsive?
' Is the service well led?
This is a summary of what we found -
Is the service safe?
The two staff records we looked at contained all the information required by the Health and Social Care Act. This meant the provider could demonstrate staff employed to work were suitable and had the skills and experience needed to support people who used the service.
Is the service effective?
People told us they were happy with the care they received.
We spoke with the Domiciliary Care Officer who informed us there were arrangements in place for people to access other services, including: GP, district nurses, social workers, dieticians and occupational therapists. The Domiciliary Care Officer said these services were accessed through a single point of contact due to the complex care packages the service provided or through the GP.
Is the service caring?
The four people we asked told us staff understood their needs. One person commented: 'They definitely understand my needs.' The three relatives we spoke with told us staff understood their relatives' needs. They also said the service provided was flexible and their relative could change things about their care. One relative said: 'It is very helpful to have reviews.' Another relative said: 'I'm happy with the service. They are very professional. There is a set group of people and new carers are introduced.'
Is the service responsive?
We looked at a sample of four care records and saw each person had a care plan and risk assessment which covered their needs. We saw regular reviews of the care plans had taken place. The provider may find it useful to note that one person's risk assessments had not been updated for over 15 months despite the care plans being recently reviewed. We brought this to the attention of the Domiciliary Care Officer who did not know how this oversight occurred and told us this person's care would be immediately reviewed.
Is the service well-led?
We saw the provider had matrixes which covered areas such as: Training, supervisions and care records. This enabled the provider to carry out audits to ensure training, supervisions and care records were kept up to date. We saw accidents and incidents were analysed and action plans were created where areas for improvement were identified.
We also asked for and received a summary of complaints people had made and the providers' response. We saw people's complaints were fully investigated and resolved where possible to their satisfaction.