C09 Senior Homehelp Limited is rated Good overall at its first inspection, with compassionate, person-centred care delivered by a committed registered manager and stable staff team. The Well-Led rating of Requires Improvement reflects insufficient governance systems around recruitment record-keeping and the lack of structured analysis of quality assurance information across the service.
Concerns (4)
moderate
Record keeping
: “records kept in relation to references were not sufficiently robust. Although we did not find this had led to unsafe recruitment, improvements were needed”
moderateGovernance: “the registered manager had not developed effective systems to demonstrate how they used information from checks to analyse themes and areas for development across the service”
minorMedication management: “these care plans did not have separate protocols for medicines prescribed as required (PRN). Protocols are important as they help staff to understand when it is appropriate to offer PRN”
minorCare planning: “The care plans were informative but did not reflect the highly personalised care we found during our inspection. The registered manager was committed to gradually revising care plans”
Strengths
· Positive feedback from people, families and professionals about compassionate, unrushed, person-centred care
· Sufficient staffing levels with consistent, reliable visit attendance
· Staff training including specialist sessions (e.g. PEG feeding) with competency observations
· Strong community ties and word-of-mouth referrals supporting local care provision
· Registered manager proactively engaged with people and families weekly and responded promptly to concerns
Quality-Statement breakdown (20)
safe: Staffing and recruitmentGood
safe: Using medicines safelyGood
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuseGood
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and management; Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
effective: Assessing people's needs and choices; delivering care in line with standards, guidance and the lawGood
effective: Staff support: induction, training, skills and experienceGood
effective: Supporting people to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced dietGood
effective: Staff working with other agencies to provide consistent, effective, timely care; Supporting people to live healthier livesGood
effective: Ensuring consent to care and treatment in line with law and guidanceGood
caring: Ensuring people are well treated and supported; respecting equality and diversityGood
caring: Supporting people to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their careGood
caring: Respecting and promoting people's privacy, dignity and independenceGood
responsive: Planning personalised care to ensure people have choice and control; Supporting people to maintain relationships and activitiesGood
responsive: Meeting people's communication needsGood
responsive: Improving care quality in response to complaints or concernsGood
responsive: End of life care and supportGood
well-led: Managers and staff being clear about their roles, understanding quality performance, risks and regulatory requirements; Continuous learning and improving careRequires improvement
well-led: Engaging and involving people, the public and staff; Working in partnership; Duty of candourGood
well-led: Promoting a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empoweringGood